Belward
by footprints358
Summary: Access Hollywood thinks he's gay. Extra thinks he's secretly married. In reality, Hollywood Hot Shot Edward Cullen is just busy. The literary world recognizes M. Dwyer as one of the most prolific writers of this generation. The business world knows Isabella Swan as a philanthropic real estate mogul. What happens when all of this comes crashing together? Canon Couples. Adult lang
1. Chapter 1

#Belward – Chapter 1

It was just another day. To some, it might have looked like the most exciting thing in the world to be in the green room for Access Hollywood. There was a table in the corner full of fresh fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and crackers. He had chilled sparkling water and several bottles of chilled Cherry Coke waiting for him. There was a stylist standing behind his chair trying to tame his hair with the most expensive hair products known to man.

But Edward Cullen couldn't care less about any of it. As he sat in the chair, he tried to ignore the fact that Rachel was pulling his hair a little too hard, and the bright lights of the vanity were starting to give him a headache. He kept his eyes closed and tried to focus on the music coming through his earbuds. While some people always needed to have their watch and cellphone on them, Edward always needed his cell phone and his earbuds. With those, he could just close his eyes and drown out the world.

It wasn't that Edward took his celebrity status for granted. He knew that he was one lucky bastard, and he was grateful for everything that he had. He knew that fame was fleeting, and fans were fickle. After 12 years busting his ass, he finally felt like he could confidently say that he'd found success in Hollywood. He'd starred in five blockbuster movies, commanded a paycheck of $15 million per movie, and been nominated for a Golden Globe, a SAG, and an Oscar. Granted, he had yet to actually win an award, but Leonardo DiCaprio was still chasing his golden statue after 20 years. Poor sonofabitch.

Unfortunately, one of the price tags for success was the loss of his personal time, space, and life. Edward quickly learned that the more people recognized that he could actually act, the further they pried into his life. The closer he got to perfecting his craft, the closer the world came into the little bubble he tried to build for himself. Wherever he went, there were cameras clicking in his face trying to catch him doing something stupid.

Once the paparazzi figured out that he wasn't reckless or clueless, they started making stuff up just to sell their photos of Hollywood's Rising Star. If they snapped a photo of him right after he yawned, his fatigue was labeled as depression which incited rumors of suicide watch. If they caught him walking off the plane when he fell asleep with his contacts in and his eyes bloodshot from the lenses plastered to his eyeballs, he was a drug addict whose family was staging a soon to be televised intervention.

Through the earbuds, he could hear the producer knock and peek his head in to give the five minute countdown. Taking a deep breath, Edward pulled out the earbuds and turned off the music from his phone. He tucked both away safely in his jacket pocket, and looked at himself in the mirror.

Chuckling softly to himself, he met Rachel's eyes in the mirror and said, "Deciding to wave the white flag, Rach?"

With her hand on her hip, Rachel narrowed her eyes at her favorite male celebrity. He was one of the few who knew her name, didn't try to grab her ass, or drool on her tits when she was cutting his bangs. "Cullen, your hair is a fucking pain in my ass. I swear to God I'm so tempted to just shave your head. But one of your fucking fan girls would probably shank me at Starbucks for violating the coif."

"Would it make you feel better if I told you that my next movie is a period piece set in the middle of World War I. You're going to have to give me a crew cut in a few weeks," Edward said. Absent-mindedly, he started to raise his hand to run it through his hair before Rachel grabbed his wrist.

Rachel tugged Edward's wrist and held it against his chest. "Do. Not. Touch. Your. Hair! I just spent the better part of an hour trying to fix that god awful mess on your head. If I didn't know any better, I would tell you that you needed to go to therapy for sex addiction because from the looks of your hair it looks like you're constantly getting fuckawesome action. But I know you're a monk, so there's nothing rational that explains the hair."

"I'm not a monk," Edward said rolling his eyes. "I'm just busy. I don't have time to be in as serious relationship, and I have even less time to deal with the paternity suits and bad press that come from fucking fan girls. I could get a vasectomy on live television, and they'd probably still come after me with claims that I'm their Baby Daddy."

"Truth," Rachel said with a nod of her head.

When the producer came to escort him to the studio, Edward rolled his shoulders and gave Rachel a pleading look. "I'll give you a million dollars right now if you go out there and do this interview for me."

"Tempting, but you've got one of the chicks. If it was the guy interviewing you, I'd consider it just to set my flirt game on fleek on national television," Rachel saw Edward's face go blank with a look of confusion. "My God, Cullen. You don't know what 'on fleek' means do you?"

"Why the fuck would I know that? Why aren't you using English?" Edward shook his head and begrudgingly followed the producer out to the studio floor. As they walked down the corridors, he turned to the producer who looked to be in his mid-twenties and asked, "Do you know what 'on fleek' means?"

Edward gave the producer some credit for trying to swallow his urge to laugh at him before saying, "Yes, Mr. Cullen. 'On fleek' means 'on point' or 'the quality of being perfect'. It's a pretty popular term on social media."

"Huh. Thanks," Edward said. When he got to his seat, he watched a young blond woman in her early twenties walk up to him with what he liked to call the "slut strut". It was the walk that girls used when they pushed their boobs out a little too far and swung their hips from side to side more than necessary to try to look sexy. Edward just thought they looked unbalanced, and he waited for the day when one of them actually fell from walking that way. It would make his whole goddamn day. Unfortunately, today was not that day.

When blondie got closer to him, he could smell the acrid stench of her perfume. It was so strong, Edward swore he could taste it. Tamping down the urge to cough, Edward took a small step backwards, but the clueless girl just followed him by taking one step forward.

"Hi, Edward," blondie said. "I have your microphone."

Edward clamped his lips together and tried to hold his breath. When he tried to take a small step backwards again, Blondie's hands shot out going straight for the buttons of his shirt.

Grabbing her wrists, Edward gently pushed her back a little. "Whoa. I can get it myself. I've done this a million times, so I think I'm okay. Thanks."

Blondie just pouted and handed Edward the lavalier microphone and mic pack. When she turned to walk away, she paused, threw her hair over her shoulder, and looked back at him. After fluttering her lashes at him, she said in a low voice, "My name is Jezebel. Please let me know if I can do _anything_ for you, Mr. Cullen."

Knowing the game and being smarter than the average bear, Edward didn't even smile back at her. He knew she would take it as an invitation. Instead, he just averted his eyes quickly and got to work putting his microphone on. He wanted to be done with this whole interview as quickly as possible before he called his lawyer to find out if it was possible to start suing people for sexual harassment.

For the most part, the interview went on like any other interview. They walked about the movie he had coming out next month and the WWI film he had lined up for the summer. As they were wrapping up the interview, Kit leaned forward a little more towards Edward with a twinkle in her eyes. Edward watched and felt the sinking feeling in his stomach. Taking a deep breath, he waited for her to ask her "nail in the coffin" question.

"So, Edward," Kit said slowly. Lowering her voice a little, to make it seem like they were sharing secrets, she asked, "the word on the street is that you're planning to come out. Any plans you want to share with us on that?"

After internally rolling his eyes, Edward decided that it was time to have a little fun of his own. Tilting his head to the side a little bit, Edward smiled innocently and said, "Come out where?"

Clearing her throat, Kit nodded to Edward a little and said, "Of the closet."

Channeling his inner puppy, Edward tilted his head to the other side, and asked, "My closet at home doesn't have doors on it. I'm not sure what you mean. I'm sorry."

Edward watched as Kit steeled herself and finally asked point blank, "Edward, are you gay?"

"No, I'm not," Edward said with his trademark smile.

"But we've never seen you date anyone, so that leads us to the conclusion that you must be dating secretly because you're afraid of the world knowing your secret – that you're gay," Kit said with a sympathetic tone.

Shaking his head slowly, Edward said, "For the record, I am not gay. I haven't dated anyone because I've spent the last 12 years trying to make it in this business. I've filmed almost nonstop, and I haven't had time to really invest in a relationship. No one has caught my eye enough to make me rethink my priorities and right now my priority is acting."

Pausing, Edward looked into the camera and said, "And, please, let's be real. It's the 21st century. There's nothing wrong with being gay publicly, so if I did identify with that sexual orientation, I wouldn't hide it. Everyone deserves to love who they want and be happy with who they choose to share their lives with. I just haven't found that person that I want to share mine with. Being independent and career-focused doesn't make me gay. Come on, Kit. You know what they say about assumptions. It makes an ass out of you and me."

With that, Edward stood up, and pulled the microphone pack out of his pocket. He unclipped the lavalier and put it on the chair. Without a glance back, he walked past Jezebel and all the producers. When he turned the corner, he found his security guard Embry waiting for him.

"Don't start, "Edward warned as he continued walking out to the car. He could feel Embry vibrating with laughter next to him.

"Dude, come on," Embry said. "You can tell me. We're brothers. I won't judge you."

"Fuck you," Edward said. Since he didn't have another interview that day, Edward ran both of his hands through his hair. Pulling his fingers out, he felt all of the product that Rachel had used on his fingers. "Ugh. What the fuck did she put in my hair? This is disgusting. Do I have time to go back home to shower?"

Embry looked at his watch, and shook his head. "Nope. Sorry, Ed. You have to get on a plane for New York in two hours, and at this time of day it'll take us at least an hour to get to the airport."

"I fucking hate LA traffic," Edward grumbled as he wiped his hands on his jeans.

"You know, we wouldn't have to rush to the airport to make the commercial flights if you bought a private jet. Then we could just leave whenever you got there," Embry said causally.

"Do you think I'm made of fucking money?! Buying a private jet is expensive," Edward said.

"But it would be so worth it! Think about it, Ed. We'd have whatever food we want, and it wouldn't be that shitty airplane food. We could watch any movies we want. We wouldn't have to listen to other people whispering that it's really you on their flight, and I wouldn't have to pretend to bump or step on people's cell phones when they try to post an Instagram video of you snoring on the plane," Embry said as he got more and more excited about the idea of a private jet.

Edward stopped at the door of the car and looked at Embry over the hood. "I don't snore!"

"Yeah, you do," Embry said getting into the driver's seat of the car. When Edward got in the car, Embry turned up the AC and started to reverse out of the space. "It's like a fucking chainsaw after you've been drinking. I swear to God I've felt the windows of the car shake a time or two."

"Shut the fuck up!" Edward turned in his seat a little to look at Embry to figure out if his friend was bullshitting. "The only person in my family who snores is Emmett, and that's because he is one big motherfucker."

Embry just shrugged and continued to drive out of the studio. "Well, Ed, to be honest, you have picked up a little weight. I know you've been working a lot and stressed about prepping for the WWI flick, so I haven't said anything. But you are getting a little soft in the middle. Do you want me to call your trainer? Maybe he can come on the road with us and help you get back into shape before you start filming. War heroes are supposed to be all buff, not soft and cuddly."

"Fuck you!" Edward grabbed his shirt and pulled it up to reveal his chiseled 6-pack of abs. "Does this look soft and cuddly to you?"

"No," Embry said laughing. "But you showing another dude your abs in a small ass car like this Audi R10 looks pretty fucking gay if you ask me."

"God, I wish I could fucking fire your ass!" Edward said as he threw himself back in his seat.

Embry just laughed. "God bless nepotism! If you fire me, it would make my wifey sad. If Maria is sad, then it'll piss big brother Jasper off. If Jasper is pissed off at you, then it'll upset your baby sister. And we all know what happens when you make Alice angry. If Alice is unhappy, then"

"No one is happy," Edward said gruffly. "Yeah, I know. Fuck my life."


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Thank you all for your reviews, follows, and kind words. I appreciate every single one of you!

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#Belward – Chapter 2

Options. Too many options. Bella stood in front of her 8-foot long storyboard and looked at all of her notes, photos, and plotlines. There were too many different branches, and she needed to narrow it down. There was so much that it was too much. If she didn't focus herself and this story, she would be off-course in no time, and her editor's red pen was going to bleed all over the first manuscript draft.

As she stared at her plot lines she closed her eyes and visualized the story as it played out in fast forward in her head. Bella already knew what her hero looked like, and she had formed an everlasting bond with her heroine. Throughout her 15 year career as an author, Bella had earned a reputation for writing strong women characters. She'd written over 45 books, and not a single one of them had a damsel in distress. Women needed to feel proud of who they were and what they were capable of, and she'd be damned if she contributed to the still prevalent belief that men were stronger than women.

While the plotline zipped through her head, Bella brought out her favorite purple pen and started marking up her own revisions on the storyboard. Some ideas she crossed off entirely. At other points in the story, she could hear her hero or her heroine throw out a one-liner and she captured that on a post-it before it flew out of her head. Then there were the songs that jumped into her head that encompassed a certain mood that she needed to convey. She jotted those down on her timeline and continued to navigate the world that, for now, only existed in her head.

It wasn't long before her phone lit up with chimes and flashing lights. She'd set her phone up so the flashlight would light up like a strobe light when the alarm went off. More than once, Bella had her music turned up so loud she was writing that she didn't notice the alarm go off, and she missed an appointment. Since then her right hand, Angela, required her to set her alarm to both sound and lights.

Looking at the time, Bella conceded defeat. It really was 3:45 p.m. Even though it didn't feel like it, she'd already put in a solid 8 hours of writing and storyboarding for her next book. She had to switch gears and turn on the other side of her brain. It was time to be a business woman.

Begrudgingly, Bella grabbed her phone and walked out of her writing room to her closet. One of the greatest things about being a writer was that she could wear whatever she wanted to work. She could live in her yoga pants and sweatshirt, and no one gave a damn. But now it was time to go into her office in Columbus Circle. Bella quickly looked through the racks of clothes in her walk-in closet, and chose a sapphire blue business suit from her favorite designer, ABC Intl.

After giving herself a quick onceover to check her make-up and hair, Bella slid her feet into modest 4-inch heels. Even though she'd learned to walk in higher heels, this wasn't a red carpet event. There was no way she'd make herself suffer the torture of Fuck Me heels if she was just going to the office. Granted, she knew that there were thousands of women in Midtown that had Fuck Me heels attached to their feet, but she just couldn't bring herself to do that. Yes, heels made her short legs look longer and her butt look fantastic, but come on. She had been wearing her fuzzy socks all day. Her feet were already pissed at her, and she hadn't even left her condo yet.

Bella took the elevator ride down to the lobby and waived to Henry her doorman on the way out. While she was in the cab on the way to her office, she looked at her phone and took stock of all the messages, texts, and missed calls she'd accumulated over the last 8 hours. Everyone knew that writing time was sacred. She couldn't be expected to answer anything if she was writing.

Not surprisingly, Bella saw that she had 30 text messages from her mother. God love Renee Dwyer, but the woman could be a pain in the ass. She meant well, and she always had the best of intentions. But she could be damn annoying when she got her mind on something. Ever since Bella crossed over into her 30s, Renee had been going on and on about settling down and starting a family.

Bella looked up from her phone and saw that typical Midtown traffic was in full effect. Sighing, she opened up the text messages from her mother.

 _"Good morning, Daughter! When will you be coming down south to visit in Jacksonville? You have to meet the new neighbors. Their son is a plastic surgeon! I think he might be able to get me a family discount if I were the MIL. Potential!"_

 _"I was at Zumba today, and the teacher was trying to teach us this new move called Twerking. Do you know what that is? I had to Google it when I came home. I watched a couple of those YouTube videos, and I think I figured it out. Why does that Miley Cyrus girl get so much attention for her twerking? She has such a flat ass. I don't understand. Anywho, I showed Phil my twerking and he said he loved it. He's going to send a thank you fruit basket to my teacher for suggesting we do that."_

If Bella hadn't been used to her mother's tendency to overshare, she would have thrown up a little in her mouth at that point, but really nothing Renee said phased her any more. As she continued to read, she finally reached the end of her mother's textual dissertation.

 _"DAUGHTER! Are you ignoring your mother? Must I remind you that I spent 33 hours bringing you into this world? You should take pity on an old woman and at least text me to tell me you're still alive. Fine. Don't answer me back. I'm just going to assume that you're writing instead of ignoring me. I'll just send you a video of my Ladies Night Out tonight with the girls. Selma got us tickets to the Thunder from Down Under show. You know, Phyllis said that she thinks they pad their banana hammocks. Do you think so? In Magic Mike the guy just used that suction machine to make his penis longer. I'm sure-"_

Bella pushed the home button on her phone and threw it in her purse. The hair on the back of her neck had started to stand up, and she no longer wanted to read about her mother's old lady exploits. Truth be told, Renee Dwyer wasn't old. She was only 50, since she had Bella at such a young age. But who the hell wants to read about their mother and strippers' dicks? NO ONE.

Because misery loves company, Bella shot off a quick text to her father.

"Did you know that Mom's seen Magic Mike, and seriously believes that there is such a contraption that will enlarge a man's penis?"

Immediately, Bella received a text back from her father.

"Bells, I don't ever want to have the thoughts of you, my ex-wife, and penises in my head at the same time EVER AGAIN. You know your mother is crazy. We've discussed this before. 'Hope all is well. Stay safe."

Bella chuckled to herself and let Charlie know that she was indeed being safe. She took a picture of the pepper spray and taser he gave her in her purse, and got out of the car. As she walked into the building and to the elevators, it still surprised her that all of the doormen and security guards nodded to her in greeting. Some even looked a little afraid of her. Coolest fucking thing in the world.

When she got up to the 30th floor, the doors opened to the dual offices of the Isabella Swan Foundation and Swan Realty Factors. Waiving to the admins and receptionists, she made her way through to the back offices. Just as she thought, Angela had been anticipating her and left her office door open.

Seeing that Angela and her husband Ben were already seated on the sofa in Angela's office, Bella closed the door behind her and sat in the other love seat.

"Hi Bella," Angela said. "Do you want any coffee or water?"

"No, I'm good," Bella said. "So, how's it going?"

Angela Cheney was the COO for the Foundation and her husband Ben was the President and Broker in Charge for Realty Factors. Bella met them when they lived on the same floor at NYU, and she trusted them implicitly with her businesses.

"I've got good news and bad news. Which do you want first?" Angela asked.

"Bad. How bad is it?" Bella asked. She knew that no matter what she had a capable team that could pull through whatever was put in front of them, and she wasn't too worried.

"Okay, well, there're two things. One, there's a zoning issue on the After School Center that we're trying to build in Chicago. The team is already working on clearing the red tape. We'll let you know when it's settled," Angela said. She knew that was more a headache than the actual bad news. Taking a deep breath, Angela said, "The second bad thing has to do with one of our scholarship recipients."

"Which one? From where?" Bella asked. Every year, the Foundation gave out over 100 scholarships to high school students across the country, so they could pay for their college tuitions. While much of the Foundation's work was done by her team, selecting the scholarship recipients was something that Bella made sure to be a part of every year.

"Tyler Crowley from Seattle, Washington. He was arrested this weekend. According to the police report, he crashed his van into a series of parked cars after lighting up at a grad party," Angela said. "He wasn't hurt, but his girlfriend was. She was in the passenger seat, and it was her side of the car that made impact with the other vehicles. She fractured her wrist and has a minor concussion."

Bella rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Any other charges?"

"Of course. He was also booked on possession of 5 ounces of marijuana. He tried to claim that it was for medical purposes because you know it's legal in Washington now. But the doctor's note that he submitted was for cataracts and glaucoma."

Ben took one look at Bella's face and started laughing. He could tell she was irritated, and irritated Bella was basically the equivalent of an angry kitten. There was a lot of hissing and some scratching, but nothing major.

"What the fuck is wrong with these morons?! The boy was in the top 10 percent of his class. What the hell made him think that was a good idea? All of these idiots who smoke are adamant that weed does not make you stupid. Well obviously it does! Why else would he have gotten such a shitty doctor's note?" Bella growled. Running her hand through her hair, Bella looked at Angela and said, "Revoke the scholarship. He violated the terms and conditions by getting arrested and charged for criminal felonies. Take the money and pay for the girlfriend's hospital bills."

Angela nodded her head and made a couple notes in her paper. "I thought you'd say that. Already on it."

Sighing, Bella let go of her irritation of teenage stupidity and focused on Ben. "What do you have for me Benny?"

"Bell, come on. You know I hate when you call me Benny," Ben said with a shake of his head. "Keep it up and I'll start calling you Izzy again."

"Fine. Truce," Bella said. Angela just sat back. Watching her husband and best friend bicker was a normal part of her life, and she was quite used to the dynamic.

"The purchase of the land in Vancouver closed yesterday. We should be ready for redevelopment in a couple months after permitting gets approved, and the sale of the two properties in Newport Beach also closed yesterday," Ben said going down his list of properties. "The B&B in Santa Monica just went into escrow this morning."

Just as Bella was about to acknowledge Ben's quick work, the office door burst in and the most beautiful couple walked through the door. One was a tall, muscular man with dark hair and dark eyes. The other had pale, almost iridescent skin and long, flowing red hair.

"What the fuck, Bells? I have to find out you're in the building from security? Nice way to treat your brother," Jake said as he took a seat next to Bella on the love seat.

"Jake, you know we don't actually share DNA, right?" Bella said, as she watched Vanessa, Jake's wife, close the door. "Thanks, Ness."

"I don't care. You're my family, and family doesn't hide from each other. You're avoiding me because you know I'm going to make you do stuff you don't want to do," Jake said. He and Vanessa worked downstairs at Grey Publishing House. He was Bella's agent, and Vanessa was her editor.

"So don't make me do it, Jakey! This is so stupid. I don't understand why I need to do this," Bella said. Feeling like a petulant child, she crossed her arms over her chest and slouched back into the couch.

"Bella, you knew this was a possibility when you decided to adapt your own book into the screenplay for that movie," Vanessa said softly. From where she sat perched on the arm of the sofa next to Jake, she tried to give Bella the most sympathetic look she could. She knew Bella hated crowds and attention, but she had warned her.

"And you knew that there was no way I could put my work into the hands of some moron Hollywood script writer. These books are my babies, and I can't just trust them to anybody. Have you read the Harry Potter books and then compared them to the movies? What about the Twilight series? The movies were good, but they paled in comparison to the books. I couldn't let that happen to my baby," Bella said with a sad pout.

Reaching forward, Jake used his finger to push Bella's lower lip back in. "Bells, honey, most people would be ecstatic that their screenplay was nominated for an MTV Movie Award. It's not an Oscar or a SAG, but it's a big step in the way of mass market appeal. You're probably the only nominee throwing a hissy fit about having to go to the awards ceremony."

Turning her head, Bella glared at Jake. "I am not throwing a hissy fit. This is an outright tantrum!"

Angela reached forward and put a hand over Bella's. Squeezing gently, she said, "Bella, would it make you feel any better if I said that I got Alice Cullen from ABC Intl. to design your dress? I know you love her clothes because they're 'fancy without being fussy', so I thought one of her dresses might make you feel more comfortable."

"Yeah, maybe she can do something to make your shorty little legs look longer," Jake said. Before his sentence was complete, he felt his wife flick his ear. "Ow! Babe!"

"Not helping, Jake," Vanessa said with a roll of her eyes. "Bella, you'll be fine. Most of your readers already know that M. Dwyer and Isabella Swan are the same person. We've gotten a few media inquiries, and we've sent out our official press release. A lot of the message boards already say that people understand your reasoning in separating the two sides of who you are and what you do."

Bella ran her hand through her hair again and growled. "I hate attention. That's why I chose to be a writer under a pseudonym. I wanted a life incognito."

"Yeah, you blew that all to hell when you decided to live on the New York Times Best Seller list for the last decade, Bells. It also doesn't help that your real estate 'tax shelter' ended up becoming an empire. That plan didn't work out too well for you, Sis," Jake said.

Looking over at Jake, Bella scowled. "Fuck you very much, Jakey. You're the picture of moral support. You asshole."

Just as she was about to lay into Jake some more for some anxiety relief, her cell phone alarm started to go off. Turning it off, Bella sighed. "Saved by the bell. I have a meeting with Paul at the gym. I'll see you guys in a couple of days."

Before she left the room, Bella looked at Angela and said, "Get new locks on these doors and put that mutt on the restricted list for this floor. He's a pain in my ass."


	3. Chapter 3

#Bellward – Chapter 3

Upon arrival in New York, Edward had to go straight to the movie premiere where he had an interview with Mario Lopez. He knew that he'd already messed up his hair from earlier in the day, and it was probably smashed on one side from when he fell asleep in the plane. But he didn't care. He'd probably get an angry text from Rachel later, but he couldn't do anything about it now. At least he'd remembered to bring the change of shirt and jacket that she'd packed for him and made the attire switch in the plan before they landed.

When they pulled up to the premiere the crowd was screaming, and that sound never failed to re-energize him. Every time he heard their excitement, it was like an adrenaline rush for him. As he walked down the red carpet, he signed autographs and took selfies with the fans. He couldn't believe some of their antics. As flattered as he was that some people put so much value on his signature, he still got embarrassed when women would ask him to sign their boobs.

As he got down the line, he started to feel more and more like an American Ninja Warrior dodging all of the arms that reached out to grab him. For as much as Embry had been irritating him earlier that day, he was immensely grateful for that little shit now. Embry blocked all of the hands that tried to shove unnecessary items in Edward's face. Some of these women were bold. There was more than one girl that tried to stuff their thongs and g-strings into Edward's face, and Embry knew that wasn't going to fly with the boss man.

Finally, they made it to the front of the line where Mario Lopez had set up his little interview booth. As usual, Edward answered the mundane questions about the movie and his next project. As much as he wanted someone ask him interesting questions, he knew that he had to be careful of what he wished for. Just as he got finished reminding himself of that simple fact, Mario leaned forward in the signature "sharing secrets" pose and flashed his dimples at Edward.

 _Fuck my life, here it comes_ , Edward thought. Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, Edward took a deep breath and waited for it.

"Edward, your love life is a thing of mystery around here, man. Everyone wants to know what's going on with you because you're such a private guy. But come on, we're buds," Mario said.

 _You wish, Slater_ , Edward thought.

"We've seen photos of you with Rosalie Hale, and inquiring minds want to know what's going on with the two of you," Mario said.

Edward was confused, and he was absolutely certain that the look on his face said so. "Rosalie is my sister-in-law. She's married to my brother, Emmett Cullen, defensive linebacker for the New York Giants."

"Yeah, but you've been photographed with her quite frequently in the last several months. People are starting to think that maybe you guys are secretly married. You know it's not so taboo these days to be in a three-way relationship," Mario said in an effort to be reassuring and comforting.

There were a million thoughts that ran through Edwards head at the same time. There were three things he was absolutely certain of: one, his manager and agent would kill him if he punched this clueless douchebag in the throat on national television; two, Emmett is probably watching this and laughing his ass off; and three, he was going to negotiate a no press clause into his next contract because this was just fucking ridiculous.

Edward cleared his throat and pinched the bridge of his nose. After a few seconds to collect himself, he looked into the camera and said calmly, "America, are we so thoroughly bored that we need to make up these asinine rumors about my non-existent love life? There is absolutely no truth to that rumor. Emmett and Rosalie are happily married, and I couldn't be happier for them. I am not jealous of what they have, nor do I envy what they have. Their relationship is special and unique to them, and one day I will have a special unique relationship of my own. But until then, please, America. Please. I'm begging you. Please let a poor man work and make his living in peace."

Quicker then he thought possible, Edward was out of that chair and at the door of the theater. He scanned the crowd quickly and found his manager Garret and his agent Kate. When he was standing in front of them, he was fuming.

Kate put a light hand on Edward's arm and said softly, "I know you're pissed."

Edward could feel his blood pressure spiking. "You think?!"

Even though Garret found this whole situation to be hilarious, he was still quite protective of his wife. "Hey, watch your tone with her. She didn't know Slater was that stupid."

Pinching the bridge of his nose again, Edward took a few deep breaths. When he felt calmer, he opened his eyes and said in a deadly calm voice, "Cancel all of my interviews for tomorrow. This has been the day from hell, and I'm sick of fucking reporters. I will stay in the City and spend time with my family. I need to lie low before I really do follow through with my instinct and punch the next dumbass that thinks they've got the scoop on my life."

Garret and Kate just nodded. Kate took a step forward and gave Edward a hug. When Edward's arms wrapped around her loosely, she said softly, "Go to your parents' house and hide out for a day. I'll do some damage prevention for the next round and make some heads roll for what happened today. I'm sorry."

Edward squeezed Kate tightly and said softly, "Not your fault."

Garret punched Edward in the shoulder and said, "Don't forget that you have a fitting at your sister's at 11 a.m. tomorrow."

"Why?!" Edward said absolutely baffled. "The girl's been dressing me since she was old enough to bite and boss me around. She knows just by looking at me if I lost weight, gained weight, or pick up muscle mass. What the hell do I need to get fitted for?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Garret said, "Dude, I don't know. She said you had to be there, so you better be there. Ignore her at your own risk, man."

Edward just growled and turned to Embry. "I swear to God, if you say one fucking thing about a threesome, I will unleash all of this pent up aggression on your ass."

"My lips are sealed," Embry said. Smiling brightly, he said, "I just reserved front row seats to the Emmett and Rosalie Harass Edward Show tomorrow, and that's more than enough to hold me."

"I fucking hate you sometimes," Edward mumbled. Looking at Kate and Garret, Edward said, "I'm out of here. I don't need to see the movie. I was in the damn thing. Embry, let's go. I'm fucking hungry."

"Ooohhh, pizza," Embry said as he followed Edward out to the back door of the Theater. The first meal that Edward had in New York was always pizza. It didn't matter what time of day it was. He had to have a true New York style pepperoni pizza with Cherry Coke. It was one of the few comfort foods Edward had, and Embry knew that Edward was probably starving because he didn't eat on the plane.

"I'm fucking starving. Get your own pie," Edward gruffed. "Then you can put all that other stuff on your pizza without it contaminating mine."

"You need to live a little man. Pepperoni pizza is so boring. You haven't lived until you've eaten an anchovy, pepperoncini, olive, onion, and pineapple pizza," Embry said as his mouth watered at the thought.

#####

 _Meanwhile, on the other side of the City…_

Bella got out of the cab at Aterra Athletics and walked through the big double-doors. Waiving to the girls that worked the front desk, Bella proceeded up to the women's locker room. After she changed her clothes and tied her hair back, she went to the private work-out rooms on the third floor.

Paul was already waiting for her and setting up the room for Bella's WOD (workout of the day). When he heard her come in, he smiled and said, "Hey Bells. So, how much do you want to hate me today?"

"I spent most of the day on my ass, and I've got some anxiety to burn off. On a scale of one to ten, let's go with an eight and a half," Bella said confidently.

"Are you sure?" Paul asked. He knew Bella was one tough chick, but he never wanted to work a client or push them too far beyond what they were comfortable with.

"I'm sure. I need to feel the burn and sweat today," Bella said.

As Paul guided her through the warm-ups, Bella could feel her worry and anxiety slip away. She forgot that she would need to walk a red carpet in a couple weeks, and she didn't think about all of the cameras, fans, and reporters that would be yelling at her. Instead, all she focused on was her breathing, her muscles warming and contracting, and the sweat rolling off of her.

By the time they were nearing the end of Bella's 90-minute workout, she was definitely feeling the burn. As Bella pushed through her last set of burpees, she growled and said, "I hate you, Paul. I hate you so much right now."

"You said 8.5, Bells," Paul said as he watched Bella roll onto the mat and flop onto her back. Picking up her ankle, he pushed her straight leg up and towards her head to stretch her hamstring.

"One day, Paul. One day I'm going to tell you 10, and I'm going to kick ass," Bella said. Even though her whole body felt like jelly, she was determined. One day she would be able to go all out and keep up with him on his best day.

Paul just laughed and said, "You already kick ass, Bells. Do you have to work some more today, or are you done for the day?"

Bella groaned as Paul switched to stretching her other leg, and said, "I have dinner at my dad's house, and then I'll probably do a little more writing."

"Well, you better stretch again before you go to bed, and don't eat too much heavy food. You'll be sorry later," Paul warned.

After she finished stretching, Bella went to the locker room and showered. Since she was only going to her dad's house, she changed into her comfortable jeans and hoodie. Charlie lived in Weehawken, so Bella knew that she had a decent car ride ahead of her. When she got into the cab, she checked her phone and saw that Renee had sent her at least a dozen more text messages.

Deciding to bite the bullet, Bella called her mother instead.

"Daughter!" Renee said cheerfully. "You're alive!"

"Of course, I'm alive, Renee," Bella said with a smile. "I was working. People do that you know."

"Oh, honey. Work is overrated," Renee said. "I told you that if you'd married a doctor you wouldn't have to work a day in your life. You could spend your days going to Zumba with me. We could twerk together!"

"Uh, no thanks, Renee," Bella said. She immediately got the mental image of her mother twerking and shaking her ass in front of her step father, Phil, and she had to switch the topics to get her mind on something else. "So how are your pottery classes going?"

Renee sighed, and said, "They're okay, but I was a little disappointed when the instructor gave us the syllabus. I thought we'd be sculpting nudes, but that isn't until the last week. And it's only one week of one model! What if he's a nottie not a hottie?"

"Renee, I'm sure you could always buy some clay and sculpt whatever you want on your spare time," Bella said without thinking.

"Yeah! Then I can have Phil pose for me, and I can sculpt him. He might be retired, but let me tell you, Daughter, he still has the body of a professional baseball player," Renee said.

 _Damn it! Why does everything always revert to my mother's sex life?!_ Bella thought.

"But nevermind about me, have you given any thought to what I said earlier?" Renee asked.

"Exactly what are you referring to? You sent me about 50 texts today, so I'm not sure I know which of them you're referencing," Bella said.

"The plastic surgeon sperminator candidate next door! Come on, Daughter, he could be the man of your dreams! I think you should book your flight tonight," Renee said. From her side of the phone, Bella could hear her mother clapping her hands.

It took Bella a good 20 minutes to explain to her mother why she could not make the impromptu trip to Jacksonville just to meet the poor victim that moved in next door to her mother.

 _Maybe I should send him a fruit basket with a warning taped to it. "Beware of the crazy lady that lives next door,"_ Bella thought.

After 20 more minutes of Renee jabbering on and on about nothing in particular, Bella bid her mother goodbye, so she could pay the cab driver. When she walked up the driveway, she could already smell Sue's famous chili and cornbread. Bella stomach was growling when she opened the door and let herself in. As soon as she stepped through the threshold, a small blur of pink, purple, and yellow zipped through the living room and slammed into her legs.

Bracing herself against the door with one arm, she used the other to wrap around the little girl attached to her legs.

"Aunty Bella!" Aria squealed in delight.

Bending down, Bella scooped up the little girl in her arms and began peppering her face and neck with smacking kisses. "There's my favorite munchkin!"

"Sissy Boo!" Jake yelled as he threw his arm around Bella's shoulders.

Turning her head, Bella glared and Jake and said, "Why are you here?"

Jake rolled his eyes and said, "The little princess in your arms does belong to me."

Bella looked down at Aria and said, "Earmuffs."

When Aria put her hands over her ears, Bella scowled and told Jake, "It still amazes me that a mutt like you could make something so beautiful. I always thought you'd breed the spawn of Satan."

Vanessa walked through the living room and smiled at Bella, "That's because Aria takes after me. Come on Little Bit, we need to get you washed up for dinner."

Aria hopped from Bella's arms to her mother's, and Bella turned to Jake to ask, "Again, why are you here? It's family dinner night."

Jake huffed and picked Bella up to hoist her over his shoulder. Swaying back and forth so Bella's head dangled in every direction, Jake said, "Because we're family, Sissy Boo! Your dad married Seth and Leah's mom who happens to be my dad's sister. I don't know why you can't understand this."

Bella beat her fists into Jake's back, and when that didn't work, she bit him.

"Aaahhh! You bit me in the ass!" Jake dropped Bella on the couch as she spit and sputtered.

Charlie chose this moment to walk into the living room. Shaking his head, he said, "You know, you would never guess that you're both 30 year old professionals by watching you. It's like watching a pair of toddlers fight in the sandbox."

"It's his fault," Bella said at the same time that Jake yelled, "It's her fault."

Seth walked down the stairs and surveyed the room. Taking a seat on the couch next to Bella, he ruffled her hair. "So, Bells, I was wondering…"

Bella recognized the look on Seth's face immediately, and so did Charlie. Before Bella could say anything, Charlie said, "Don't you dare ask her for anything, Seth. You're a grown ass man. Stop asking your sister for money."

Seth ignored his stepfather and trained his puppy dog eyes on Bella. Pouting a little, he laid it on thick and said, "Sissy Boo, I promise I'm being a grown up. I have a job, and I pay my rent. I'm trying to pay down my student loans quickly, so I can qualify for a better interest rate and buy a place. So that means I don't have a lot of play money left over, and I was wondering if maybe you could loan me some."

Bella could understand Seth's logic, and she did give the boy credit for trying to do the right and responsible thing with his life. Sighing, she said, "What is it you want to buy?"

"A crotch rocket," Leah said as she walked in from the kitchen. "Young'n thinks he's hot shit and wants to buy himself a Ducati."

Bella quirked an eyebrow at Seth, and said, "A Ducati? Do you even know how to ride? That's a lot of bike for you."

The smirk appeared on Seth's face instantaneously. "And I'm more than enough man for that bike and the lovely lady that's going to ride behind me."

Sue walked up behind her son and pulled his ear. "What young lady would that be, Son? I haven't met this young lady."

Bella laughed as she watched tiny Sue pull her six-foot tall son into the kitchen by the ear. It was good to be home, even if just for the evening.


	4. Chapter 4

#Belward – Chapter 4

The next morning, Edward tried to give Embry the day off, but the stubborn jackass wouldn't take it. He insisted in coming to breakfast at his parents' house because he didn't want to miss "The Show".

"This is going to be so much better than the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight. There's actually going to be action in this one!" Embry said with excitement, as he and Edward walked up the drive to the Cullen's house in Weehawken.

Edward just shook his head and prayed that Emmett and Rosalie were in Philly visiting her family for the week. As soon as he opened the door, he heard a sultry voice and knew he was in for it.

"Heeeeyyyy, Hubby!" Rosalie said. Running up to Edward, she jumped in his arms. Even though Edward wasn't as big as Emmett, she knew that he was strong enough to catch her without stumbling or dropping her on her ass.

Peeking around the corner, Emmett rushed out and threw his arms around the two of them. Not wanting to be left out, he placed a big wet kiss on Edward's temple and said, "Hi Lovers!"

Pushing Rosalie into Emmett's arms, Edward yelled, "Ma! They're picking on me!"

"But Lover, we missed you," Emmett said. He put Rosalie back on her feet and pulled his brother back into a hug with Rosalie trapped between them, effectively making a Rosalie sandwich.

As Emmett squeezed and tried to kiss his brother again, Rosalie giggled. "You know, this could actually turn a girl on a little. This amount of male hotness is pretty stimulating. Not gonna lie."

"Babe, we should take a selfie like this and post it on Instagram. Hashtag MCM!" Emmett said with his arms still trapping Edward as he continued to squirm.

"What the hell is Hashtag MCM? Embry! Why aren't you helping me? Your job is to protect me you idiot!"

Emmett just squeezed harder and wiggled more. "Dude, MCM is Man Crush Monday. Duh!"

"Ugh, that's a social media thing, right? I swear it's making people speak less and less English!" Edward continued to struggle, and Rose kept giggling. "Embry, I swear to god. If you don't get me out of this, I will fire you. I don't care how pissed off anybody is at me!"

Embry didn't answer. Instead, he doubled over in laughter.

When Esme walked out of the kitchen, she found the source of all the commotion in her foyer. Shaking her head, she walked up to Emmett and stood up on her tip toes to deliver a loud smack to the back of his head. "Let your brother go, Emmett."

Emmett released Edward and kept his arm around Rosalie. With his eyes still twinkling with laughter, he looked at Esme and said, "Come on, Ma. You have to admit that it is pretty funny."

Esme pursed her lips together and shook her head. "It's actually kind of gross. If you were in a three-way marriage with your brother that would be incest."

"Right?! Thank you, Mom," Edward said. Walking up to her, he gave her a hug and kissed her head. "Where's Dad?"

"He got called in for an emergency at the hospital early this morning," Esme said as her trail of starving ducklings followed her into the kitchen. Carlisle had been a surgical attending at Mount Sinai for the last thirty years, and he had recently been promoted to Chief of Medicine. Since they were a little short-staffed, he still had to go in on occasion to assist with certain specialty procedures.

Edward and Emmett were used to their father being called away and thought nothing of his absence.

"More for me!" Emmett said as he sat down at the table.

"Where's Alice and Jasper?" Edward asked. He was used to a full kitchen with lots of noise, and having only five at the table seemed sparse to him.

"Alice has an important client fitting this morning at her shop in Midtown, and Jasper has to oversee a system installation in SoHo," Esme said without missing a beat.

"That reminds me," Rosalie said. "Alice told me to make sure you don't forget you have a fitting at 11, Edward. I have a fitting today too, so can I catch a ride with you and Embry?"

"Anything for Edward's wife," Embry said as he scooped a massive pile of bacon onto his plate.

"I'm going to stab you," Edward mumbled.

"What was that, Son?" Esme asked, smirking at her son.

"Nothing, Mom," Edward said. "So how are things going at the office? Are you cutting back your hours yet?"

"No," Esme said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Carlisle still works full time, and all of you are preoccupied with your own lives. None of my children feel the need to bless me with grandbabies to spoil, so I may as well continue to work."

Emmett stuffed an entire pancake into his mouth and said, "Ma, we're going to the Big Game next season. I can feel it. I can't get distracted, and Rosie doesn't want her tits to start sagging yet."

Rosalie elbowed Emmett in the side causing him to grunt while he continued to eat. "I've got a few more roles lined up, and maybe after that I'll be ready for a break and a baby."

Edward looked at his sister-in-law and said, "Are you sure you want to breed with that, Rose? Some people should not procreate, and you've got a fifty-fifty chance of your baby turning out like him."

Batting her eyelashes at Edward, Rose reached across the table and put her hand on Edward's. "Why, are you volunteering to be my sperminator, Hubby?"

"Ma!" Edward cried, yanking his hand away from Rosalie, as Embry continued to giggle with a mouthful of eggs.

"Edward, don't get me started on you, Son," Esme said. "I know you've had a rough couple of days with those stupid reporters asking you those asinine questions. But you are 30 years old. You haven't had a girlfriend since high school, and you're not getting any younger."

A little surprised at the turn in the conversation, Edward gaped at his mom. He didn't expect her to turn on him too. He was the favorite. What the hell?

"Granted, Cullen men stay in their prime a lot longer than most men. Carlisle can still go all night long for multiple rounds even in his fifties-"

"MA!" All four yelled with their hands going up to their ears. Eggs flew and pancakes flopped off of plates.

"What?" Esme said. "I am not naïve enough to think that my children aren't having sex, so don't be ignorant enough to think that your parents aren't having sex either. We made you didn't we?"

"No, Ma!" Emmett yelled. By this point, he had his eyes closed and one hand on his ear while the other was pressed to his shoulder. His free hand was still shoveling food blindly into his mouth. "I was brought by the stork. There was no hanky panky of any kind. I was wrapped in a little blue blanket and the nice birdy dropped me on your doorstep."

Rosalie rolled her eyes and slapped Emmett's arm. "Keep calling it hanky panky, and you won't be getting any."

Faster than anyone thought was possible, Emmett straightened his posture and started eating normally again. "Carry on with the wild, hot animal lovin', Ma. More power to you."

Embry elbowed Edward and said in a stage whisper that everyone could hear, "I bet all this talk about sex is making you feel the desperation of your 12 year dry spell, huh?"

Just as Edward was about to pounce out of his chair to tackle Embry to the floor, Esme put her hand on Edward's forearm and said, "Edward, if you start wrestling Embry in my dining room, I will start to tell you about the night you were conceived."

Edward pouted and stabbed his eggs. There must have been some kind of memo that went out announcing that it was "Pick on Edward Week" and he missed it.

#####

 _Meanwhile at ABC Intl. on 5_ _th_ _Ave…_

Bella was nervous. She'd never been to a fitting before. She was a strictly off the rack kind of girl, and she wasn't used to all the fuss that was involved with going to a red carpet event. She'd been to numerous groundbreaking ceremonies, but she's never been to an Awards show before. Angela e-mailed her the list of appointments to get her nails done and her hair trimmed and conditioned. Angela even made her an all-day spa appointment to get a facial, a massage, and a full body wax. But even that wasn't enough. She hired someone named Rachel to do her hair and make-up for the night.

When Bella walked into the store, she was immediately greeted by a tall blonde woman.

"Good morning, Ms. Swan. My name is Lauren. Ms. Cullen is expecting you. Right this way please," she said extending her arm in the direction she wanted Bella to walk. "May I offer you some water, tea, or coffee?"

"Uh, water is good," Bella said feeling more out of her league by the second.

"Sparkling or flat?" Lauren asked.

"Flat is fine," Bella said softly. She followed Lauren up a spiral staircase and through a pair of frosted glass doors.

Alice heard the door open and peaked out from behind the rack of clothes in front of her, "Bella! Hi, I'm Alice."

Bella was a little shocked when Alice pulled her into a bone crushing hug as she was about to extend her hand for a hand shake.

"We're going to be great friends. I just know it," Alice said. Pulling back, Alice took Bella's hand and pulled her over to the rack of clothes she'd been looking at. "I'm a big fan of yours. I've read all of your books, and I was so excited when you adapted the screen play for 'Born in Blood' on your own. The movie was so true to the book. It was amazing!"

Feeling her blush rise to the tips of her ears, Bella said, "Wow, thank you. I've loved your clothes for a long time too. I'm not usually into fashion, but I have to dress up for business events. Half of my closet is filled with your designs."

Alice turned and jumped up to her tip toes and back down again. "See? We were made to be friends!"

Bella looked at the rack of clothes and started to feel overwhelmed again. "I have to admit, Alice, I've never had to go to a fitting before. I'm not quite sure what to do or expect."

Throwing her arm around Bella's shoulders, Alice said, "That's why I'm here, Bella! We will make you the most perfect dress. Don't you worry. See this rack? It's mostly for fabric and color palette. None of these are actually your dress. I want you to tell me what you like and like about each one. That way I'll know about who you are and what your preferences are in clothing. This is about your comfort. Leave the style up to me."

Bella quirked an eyebrow and asked, "You mean you're not just going to shove something at me and tell me to wear it because you said so?"

Alice giggled and said, "No, Silly. If I did that then you'd most likely be uncomfortable, and that would show on your face when you walked down the red carpet. There's enough bullshit going on when you walk down that carpet without having to feel awkward in your clothes."

"That is the best thing I've heard all day, "Bella said. "So, what do I have to do first?"

"We can start by trying each of these on, so you can tell me what feels good and what doesn't. I can also look at the color in comparison to your skin tone for what works best. Go ahead and strip," Alice said with a wave of her hand.

"Right here? Is there a dressing room or something that I'm supposed to go into?" Bella asked looking around the room.

"Oh, honey, don't worry. There's nothing to be shy or embarrassed about. I've seen tons of naked people in this industry. I don't judge," Alice said.

When Bella could tell that Alice wouldn't budge, she put her bag down on the daybed in the corner and did as she instructed.

"Good, Angela gave you the instructions to wear a strapless bra and a thong," Alice said. Picking the first dress off the rack, she handed it to Bella. "And, girl, let me tell you. You have nothing to be ashamed of. You have a hot little body under all that clothing. Let me guess. C-cup and size 6 jeans?"

Bella just nodded. She'd been rendered mute by another woman's perusal of her goods. Taking the royal purple dress from Alice, she started to put it on.

"I think we'll have lots to work with, Bella. You've got a nice set of boobs, and you even have a little bit of Kardashian tush. Definitely not Kim or Khloe, but there's a little bit of Kourtney happening. I like it!" Alice said. "Oh, and don't worry. I'm definitely not checking you out in a sexual way. I'm a very happily married lady. My Jazzy is the only one who rings my bell."

Bella just laughed. This morning was going to be much different than she originally anticipated. It was a very different experience for her, but she was having fun. Alice was just kooky enough for her to feel comfortable with, but Bella could tell that she was a professional and could be trusted to make sure that she didn't look like an idiot on her first red carpet.

Before she knew it, she'd tried on all the dresses, and Alice had the beginnings of her design all started. After she dressed, Bella made a quick trip to the bathroom to freshen up before she had to make the trip back to her home office to start her writing for the day. It didn't matter what else she had scheduled to do. Bella made it a rule early on that she had to put in a solid 8 hours of writing each day, and that discipline is what kept her on track and made her so successful.

While Bella was in the bathroom, Alice pushed Bella's rack of clothes back into the side room and pulled out the next two racks that she'd need for her next two fittings. Just as she was pulling the second rack out into the main room, the door opened to the sound of Rosalie's laughter.

"God Edward, that girl wants to jump your bones so bad! Maybe I should start a cat fight over my hubs," Rosalie said collapsing onto the daybed with laughter.

"Aw, if it isn't the happily married couple!" Alice said. "I hear congratulations are in order. Although I am pretty pissed that I wasn't invited to your wedding, Bub."

Edward just rolled his eyes. Alice had been calling him Bub for as long as she could speak. When she was little and learning to talk, she could say Emmie when she would try to get Emmett's attention. But she could never say Edward, so Carlisle and Esme tried to teach Alice to call him Brother. Instead, what came out was Bub, and Bub it has been ever since.

"At this rate no one is being invited to my wedding when I actually get married. I'm starting to wonder if it's too late to emancipate myself from this family. All of you are assholes," Edward said, as he sat on the edge of the daybed next to Rosalie. "Why do I have to be here for this fitting, Ali? I will wear whatever you tell me to wear. You know my size, so why can't I have an afternoon to myself?"

"Stop pouting, Edward," Alice said. "Besides, I can tell just by looking at you that you ate a whole pepperoni pizza last night. My guess is you also had a couple beers and a couple Cherry Cokes with that. Your face is all bloated. You're also looking a little pudgy. You better call your trainer if you want to really look the part for your WWI role."

Edward ran his hands through his hair and said, "What is with everyone telling me I'm fat lately? Do I really look like I've put on weight?"

He walked to the bathroom to look in the mirror and just as he was about to pull the door open it was pushed from the inside and out tumbled a mass of brown hair. Acting on instinct, Edward's arms shot out and he caught the softest, warmest body against his.

Time froze for a second when a small hand reached up and pushed the hair out of the way, and he was met with the most beautiful brown eyes he'd ever seen.

The rose colored, bow shaped lips that had formed a surprised O started moving, and he heard the most sexy voice say, "Oh shit!"


	5. Chapter 5

#Belward – Chapter 5

 _#####_

 _Where we left off in Chapter 4…_

 _Edward ran his hands through his hair and said, "What is with everyone telling me I'm fat lately? Do I really look like I've put on weight?"_

 _He walked to the bathroom to look in the mirror and just as he was about to pull the door open it was pushed from the inside and out tumbled a mass of brown hair. Acting on instinct, Edward's arms shot out and he caught the softest, warmest body against his._

 _Time froze for a second when a small hand reached up and pushed the hair out of the way, and he was met with the most beautiful brown eyes he'd ever seen._

 _The rose colored, bow shaped lips that had formed a surprised O started moving, and he heard the most sexy voice say, "Oh shit!"_

#####

Bella put her arms on the most yummy set of biceps as she pushed herself into an upright position. She knew her blush was burning because she felt like her ears were on fire.

"I am so sorry! Are you okay? I tripped on air like usual, and I didn't mean to fall on you. I hope you're okay. I am so, so sorry," she rambled.

Edward looked down at the petite girl in front of him and chuckled lightly. She wasn't as short as Alice, maybe a few inches taller, but she was considerably shorter than his 6' 2". She was wearing plain jeans and a tattered NYU hoodie with ballet flats. In a lot of ways she looked like the average college student. But there was nothing average about this girl. He was captivated.

When he saw that she was wringing her hands in front of her and biting her lip, he said softly, "I'm fine. Don't worry about it. No harm done. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. A little flustered, but okay," Bella said. Remembering where she was, she abruptly turned to Alice and said, "Alice! Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to assault one of your clients."

Alice and Rosalie were both perched on the edge of the daybed enjoying the show that was unfolding before them. Both of them could feel the air around them sizzling, and they had to stop nudging each other when Bella turned.

Waiving her hand in front of her, Alice giggled. "Don't worry, Bella. You can knock him down for all I care. This is my brother, Edward Cullen."

Now Bella felt like a world class idiot. Smacking herself on the forehead, she said, "Oh! You do look a little familiar. You're an actor, right?"

Edward nodded and watched the recognition unfold on Bella's beautiful face.

"And you must be Rosalie Hale, the other sister, right? I'm sorry. You guys must think I'm stupid for not knowing who you all are," Bella said softly. She spent so much of her time with her face in computer that pop culture wasn't necessarily her forte.

Rosalie walked over to Bella and threw her arm over her shoulders. "Honey, it's a blessing when people don't know who you are sometimes. It's nice to meet you. I'm a huge fan of your work. I've been reading your books for years, and I loved, loved, loved 'Born in Blood.' God, I wanted to be the heroine in that one, but I know I don't look the part."

Bella felt her blush rise again. Laughing lightly, she said, "Yeah, sorry, the main character in 'Born in Blood' is a little more GI Jane than Bombshell. However, I have seen some of your work, and I'm familiar with your range. I really don't mean to be presumptuous, but are you familiar with 'Transcendence'?"

Edward was a little confused at everything happening in front of him. He wasn't quite sure who Bella was, but both of his sisters seemed to love her. Rose's eyes got as big as saucers, and she turned to grab both of Bella's hands in hers.

"Of course, I know 'Transcendence.' That's one of my all-time favorite books that you've written," Rose said. She could feel her heart rate quicken, and she was praying to God above that this conversation was leading where she hoped.

Bella bit her lip and knew that Jake was going to kill her for letting the cat out of the bag, but she didn't care. Screw him. It was her career, and she could do what she wanted with it. She was the boss, not him. "That's the next adaptation that I have in the works. Dreamworks picked it up, and we're working on fine tuning the details. But it's happening, and I'd be honored if you'd consider being a part of the project."

In the ten years that he'd known Rosalie, Edward had never seen her do what she did next. She started squealing and jumping up and down. Usually, that was Alice's signature move, and to see the poised starlet as excited as a hyper Chihuahua was something new.

"Oh my God, Bella!" Rose squealed. "You have no idea how flattered I am that you'd think of me for any role in that adaptation. That would be a dream come true for me."

Rose calmed down and looked at Bella seriously. She smiled softly and said, "No one ever considers me for serious roles. It's easy to put me in the bombshell box, and I've had to fight with that all my life."

Bella squeezed Rosalie's hands and said, "I'm a firm believer in paving your own path and standing your ground. Now I'm even more determined to have you be part of this. The casting director and producers are probably going to pitch a fit that I'm sticking my nose where it doesn't belong, but they can go screw themselves. If they don't like it, I'll just pull the plug and shop the adaptation to a studio that wants to listen to me."

Rosalie beamed and pulled Bella into a hug. "Oh, I just fell in love with you. We're going to be awesome friends!"

Feeling left out, Alice threw her arms around both of them and said, "See! I knew we'd be besties!"

Edward continued to watch and just scratched his head. He wasn't sure exactly what happened. One minute he had a pretty girl fall into his arms, and the next his sisters were jabbering on about stuff he didn't quite follow.

When the hugging stopped, Rosalie pulled out her phone and handed it to Bella. "Here, put your number in here. I'll call you and we can go to lunch one day. You're based here in the City, right?"

"Uh, kind of," Bella said slowly. As she keyed in the number and called herself,, she explained, "It's a little complicated."

Alice handed Bella her phone, so Bella could put in her number there too. "Oh, the M. Dwyer/Isabella Swan thing?"

Bella nodded and put her number into Alice's phone. "I live everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. I have to head to Los Angeles the day after tomorrow for about a week. Will you need me again soon for the next fitting?"

Alice shook her head and said, "Let me work my magic, and I'll call you. We can probably set something up for your return to the City. I can e-mail you designs to look at while you're in LA."

"That sounds good," Bella said. She gave Alice and Rosalie a quick hug before turning to Edward. She didn't know why she was blushing again. "It was nice meeting you, Edward. Thanks for catching me."

With that, Bella walked out the frosted double-doors, leaving Alice and Rosalie with Edward. Weighing the pros and cons of his next action, Edward looked at the twinkling eyes of his sisters and asked hesitantly, "Who was that?"

Alice jumped up and hugged Edward, attaching herself to him like a spider monkey. "I knew you liked her, Bub!"

"Like her? Alice, I don't even know who she is," Edward said. Placing his hands on her hips, he picked her off his body easily and set her on the floor.

Rosalie walked over to the day bed and stretched out. "That is the woman I bequeath my Hubs to. You're so gone, Eddie, and you don't even realize it."

"I don't even know her!" Edward said. Running his hand through his hair, he sighed. "Just tell me who she is and get me my clothes. I want to get this done with, so I can get on with the rest of my day."

Alice walked to the rack and pulled off Edward's outfit. While she took one last look at the shirts, she explained, "That was Bella Swan. Her pen name is M. Dwyer, and every book she writes ends up on the New York Times bestseller list. But she's also into real estate, I guess. She buys and flips different properties across the country, and she's made a ton of money. So she started a foundation that builds learning centers in lower income neighborhoods and provides scholarships for students."

Taking the clothes from Alice, Edward said, "How do you know all of this about her?"

"She was on Oprah's _Master Class_ show several years ago, and she talked about how she came to do all that she does. It was pretty amazing," Alice said. Looking at the jeans she'd chosen for Edward, she grabbed his shoulders and turned him around. Tugging on his belt loops, she said, "See? I told you, you've picked up some weight. The butt is a little more snug than I thought it would be. Are you going to keep on being a chunky monkey, or can I keep these pants?"

Edward rolled his eyes and threw back his head. "No! I'm so sick of hearing everyone tell me that I've become a fucking sumo wrestler. I'm going to the gym as soon as I leave here, and I'll be there every goddamn day for the next several months."

"Good!" Alice said. Running her hands over the collar of Edward's shirt, she said, "You need to make sure that the shirt collar is inside of the jacket collar when you put it on. Is Rachel getting you ready?"

Edward shrugged his shoulders. "She said she'd come by and do my hair, but she has another client to help that night too. She knew you'd be here, so she figured she wouldn't have to watch me like a hawk. It's just putting clothes on. I don't get why I can't be trusted to dress my damn self."

Alice slapped Edward's chest with both hands. "Don't you say such mean things! It's not just putting on clothes. Fashion is an art, Edward Anthony Masen Cullen! If you were left to your own devices, you'd walk down the red carpet in your faded jeans and holey Dartmouth tee-shirt."

Edward rubbed his chest where Alice had slapped. She could pack a punch for a little person, and it stung a little bit. When he could tell that she was done appraising her work, he changed back into his own clothes. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Rosalie engrossed in her Nook.

"Your turn, Rosalie. Can I head out, or do you need me to stay to take you home?" Edward asked. They may have bickered like they hated each other sometimes, but she was still his sister. Emmett would kill him if he left her stranded somewhere, and his mother would smack him for being such an ass.

"You go ahead. You need to get your fat ass to the gym. I'm going to hang out with Alice for the rest of the day," Rosalie said. Smirking, she said, "Unless, you want to see me strip before you go."

Grimacing, Edward said, "Uh, no. I don't need to see that."

Right before he reached the door, Rosalie called out to him. "Hey, Hubs, check your phone. I left you a present."

Shutting the door behind him, Edward walked down the stairs. Being the smart guy that he was, he kept his eyes straight and just lifted a hand as a goodbye to Lauren. He didn't want her to get any ideas, and he didn't feel like getting trapped in her meaningless banter either. Since Embry had actually taken the rest of the day off, having already seen the good part of the Emmett and Rosalie Show, he flagged his own cab.

After telling the driver to take him to Aterra Athletics, he pulled out his phone.

 _"212-555-7920. That's Bella's number. Muster your courage my cowardly lion and call her. You know you want to."_

"Fucking, meddling Rosalie," Edward mumbled.

#####

After meeting Rosalie, Bella had a wave of inspiration. She had a face and a voice for her heroine, and she was ready to knock out the adaptation for the "Transcendence" screenplay. When she got back to her condo on Park Avenue, she went straight to her closet. She had a feeling this was going to be one hell of a session, and she needed her comfy pants. Throwing her jeans in the corner, she pulled on her favorite sweat pants and fuzzy socks.

On her way to her writing room, she grabbed her Hydroflask and filled it with water. Once she was seated at her desk, she closed her eyes and pictured Rosalie in her head. She changed Rosalie's hair and clothes to something more along the lines of her heroine, and got to work.

A few hours later, Bella's fingers were feeling a little tired, and her eyes were starting to blur. She'd blasted through a quarter of the screenplay, and along the way forgot to eat lunch. Her stomach was trying to eat itself, and she was about ready to eat her stapler. Standing up, Bella stretched and walked out to the kitchen. Immediately, she smelled the wonderful scent of Tanya's cooking.

When she turned the corner, she saw her housekeeper and friend Tanya at the stove.

"Hey Tan, I'm so glad you're here. I completely forgot to eat lunch. I was on this wave when I got back here that I just grabbed my water and got to work," Bella said as she sat at the bar stool on the other side of the island.

"Girl, I told you that you needed to get better about doing that. Even if it's just a KIND bar, you need to eat something. You're going to make yourself sick if you keep doing that," Tanya said. She had been working for Bella for the last 5 years, and she knew that Bella had a tendency to get caught up in her work.

"I know, but I haven't been this swept away in a while. If I hadn't been preoccupied with my stomach's loud protests, I would have kept writing," Bella said. Peering around Tanya, Bella sniffed the air and asked, "So what is that anyway? It smells amazing."

"Cassoulet. I cut down on the calories though. It's still kind of chilly out, so I thought something warm might be good for your tummy," Tanya said, placing the small cazuela of food in front of Bella. "You need to eat all of that before you get back to work. Since you're out here eating, do you mind if I go into your writing room to vacuum real quick?"

"You're the best, Tan," Bella said as she dug her spoon into the yummy goodness in front of her. By the time she'd finished eating every bite, Tanya had vacuumed and dusted the writing room. She'd even managed to refill Bella's hydroflask.

Stretching again before she sat, Bella closed her eyes and got back into the mindset of her heroine and jumped back into the world of "Transcendence." When Bella was writing, the rest of the world fell away. She forgot where she was, and it was like she got transported to a different time and place.

When Bella finally resurfaced, she looked at the clock. It was almost two in the morning. She'd been writing for almost 9 hour straight. Pressing the heels of her hands to her eyes, she stood up and stretched again.

Bella walked into the kitchen and saw a bright pink post-it on the refrigerator with Tanya's handwriting on it.

 _"I don't care what time it is. Eat something small before you go to bed. There's yogurt in the drawer and apples in the crisper." – T_

Bella smiled and did as she was told. Opening her phone, she set her next alarm for 7 a.m.

#####

At exactly 9 a.m., Bella walked through the doors of Grey Publishing House. Waving to the receptionists that sat at the front, she made her way to the back office where Jake and Vanessa shared an office. When she walked in, she was met with Vanessa's warm smile.

"Hey Bells, good morning," Vanessa said. Standing up, she walked around the desk to give Bella a hug. "I didn't think we'd be seeing you this morning."

"Sissy Boo!" Jake said as he stood up. Quickly, he spotted the bag in Bella's hand. "Are those what I think they are?"

Bella held her hand out. "Yes, I brought your wife donuts from Dominique Ansel Bakery."

"That's a big bag, Bells. You brought enough for me too. You can pretend all you want, but deep down, you love me," Jake said. Grabbing the bag, he stuck his nose in and inhaled the sweet sugary scent of the donuts. "Cronut, you are mine."

"Actually, Jake, there's something I need to talk to you about," Bella said. Sitting down on the couch, she crossed her legs, and waited for Jake to shift his focus from the pastry and back to her.

"Oh, is this the part where you tell me that I was right and admit that I know what's best for you?" Jake asked.

Scoffing, Bella said, "Hell no. Not even in your dreams. I need to talk to you about the screen play adaptation of 'Transcendence.;'"

"What about it?" Jake asked. "Dreamworks signed the contract, but they're still working on the finer details on their end in regards to finding a director and all those other movie worker people."

"Well, I need you to call and tell them that I casted the lead actress," Bella said nonchalantly. She was waiting to see what his reaction would be, and in true Jake fashion, he did not disappoint.

"I'm sorry. Did you say that you casted someone? Bell, that's not your job. Honey, you're the writer. Just the writer. Do you know how long it took for me to negotiate the clause that said you could even adapt your own book into a screenplay? I had to get you into the Screen Actors Guild for that. Now you're thinking you can cast whoever the hell you want? Hollywood is going to think that you're some control freak prima donna, and no one is going to want to work with you if you keep doing whatever the hell you want," Jake ranted.

"I don't give a flying fuck what anyone thinks of me. No one knows these characters better than I do, and I know I'm right. Rosalie Hale is my heroine, and she is going to do a great job," Bella said with finality that even Jake knew he couldn't argue with. He'd been family with Bella long enough that he knew when she couldn't be moved about something. This was one of those times.

"Rosalie Hale? You got Rosalie Hale?" Jake asked. He was a little amazed. Bella was still relatively unknown in Hollywood circles, and the fact that she'd gotten an A-list actress on-board was more than a little unexpected.

"Yes. She's very interested in the project, and I think she'll be perfect for the part. I finished the screenplay last night, and once I give it one more run through I'll e-mail it to both of you," Bella said. "Tell the studio that when they read the screenplay, I want them to envision Rosalie as the lead. They'll get it, and they'll know I'm right."

"Ugh, Sissy Boo!" Jake groaned. "You love to make my job harder than it needs to be."

Smiling deviously, Bella felt quite proud of herself. "Actually, I really do enjoy that part of my job. It's one of the highlights of my day."

Before Jake could say anything back, one of the receptionists knocked lightly on the door and peeked in. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but there's a delivery for you, Ms. Swan."

When Bella nodded, the receptionist pushed the door open and placed a beautiful bouquet on the coffee table. Instead of the typical arrangement of roses, there were calla lilies, hydrangeas, and peonies.

"Wow, those are beautiful, Bella," Vanessa said. Leaning forward she smelled the peony and gently touched the delicate blossoms. "Who sent that?"

"I have no idea," Bella said softly. Finding the card, she opened it and read.

 _"Bella, it was a pleasure to meet you the other day. I'm sorry I missed the opportunity to exchange a few more words with you. My sisters kind of stole you away. I'd love to get to know you a little more. If you feel comfortable, please call me any time. My number is 212-555-8294. Warm regards, EC."_


	6. Chapter 6

#Belward – Chapter 6

"Who the hell is EC?!" Jake yelled. Because Bella was frozen in shock staring at the card, she didn't notice that Jake had walked behind her to read over her shoulder.

Jerking the card to her chest, Bella swung her body away from Jake and pushed him back. "None of your business, Nosey Nancy!"

Bella put the card in her purse, and stood up. Turning to Vanessa, she said, "I'll be in LA for a week, so we can Skype if anything important comes up. Give my munchkin a kiss for me. I'll need to steal her when I come back."

Grabbing her flowers, Bella turned to walk out the door.

"Wait, I'm not done talking to you," Jake said.

Bella kept walking without turning back. "But I'm done talking to you!"

She didn't know what to think. The whole taxi ride to her condo, she thought about it. What should she do? Should she call him? The whole thing was a little nerve-wracking because it was so unexpected. Who the hell would have thought that Edward Cullen, THE Edward Cullen, would send her flowers?

Yes, she thought he was a handsome bugger yesterday, but what living, breathing female didn't think he was a sexy beast? How did she know that he wasn't out to play her? She had too much going on to get into some sordid, romantic tryst. Even if she was just in it for sexy times, she wasn't out to be a notch in some Hollywood playboys bedpost.

But he didn't seem like a playboy. He seemed like a nice guy. He didn't try to cop a feel when he broke her fall, and he seemed to have put some thought into the flower purchase. He didn't send the cliché long-stemmed red roses, and he didn't even put his full name on the card. Maybe he didn't want people to know that he was sending her flowers. Did he do that to protect her from rumors? Or was he embarrassed of her?

She had a million questions and no answers. Bella sat on the stool in her kitchen staring at the flowers like they would talk back with the right answer. When all she got was continued silence, she put her head down on the cool marble counter top. Sighing deeply, she picked up her phone and held her fingers above the keys.

As her fingers hovered above the keys, Bella waged one last battle in her head. Not saying anything would be rude, and Charlie raised her better than that. Calling him on the phone was too big of a leap, and it might make her seem overeager. Texting was an acknowledgement without jumping all the way to a full blown conversation.

 _You're such a chicken_ , Bella thought to herself.

Sighing, Bella typed out a quick response to Edward.

 _"Hi Edward. It's Bella. Thank you for the flowers. They were beautiful. It was nice to meet you too. I hope your fitting went well, and I'm flattered that you thought to send me flowers."_

After reading and rereading the message at least ten times, she hit send and threw the phone on the counter. In less than a minute, her phone chimed with a response.

Bella wasn't sure whether she wanted to read it. She was actually terrified. This was a social situation, and she didn't do social situations. She was a writer for a reason, goddamnit. She liked hiding behind her words and using the written language as a shield. She stuck to her close friends and her family. Her circle was small and tight knit, and she liked it that way.

But what was wrong with a dashingly, handsome man showing interest in her?

 _Dashingly handsome, Bella? Really? You don't even write shit like that in your novels. Fucking hell_ , Bella thought to herself. This whole thing was making her a little but nuts.

Shaking head to clear her thoughts and overactive imagination, Bella grabbed the phone and read Edward's response.

 **"Hi Bella. I'm glad you liked the flowers. I hope you didn't think I was too forward in asking you to call me. I wasn't sure what was appropriate, and I didn't want to ask my sisters for advice. They would have butt in, and that would have been a little bit too much."**

 _"I didn't think you were too forward, but I have to admit that I didn't expect you to send me flowers or invite me to call you. I wasn't sure what to do. That's why I sent you a text instead of calling. It felt…safer."_

 **"I understand, and I don't blame you. I didn't know what to do either. I felt like I wanted to say more to you than hello and goodbye yesterday, but I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do. I'm a little bit inept when it comes to male/female social dynamics. Alice said I'm socially inept sometimes. I haven't been on a date in 12 years, so I didn't even know where to start."**

 _"Really? Twelve years? That's a long time. I have to admit that I Googled you in the cab ride back to my condo. There are all kinds of interesting things that pop up in relation to your social dynamics. It must be hard to live like that where people speculate about your private life."_

 **"It's been the week from hell. This is about the worst that it's been. Please believe me when I say that I am NOT gay, and I am NOT in a relationship with Rosalie and my brother. That's just wrong on so many levels. I'm single, and I have been this whole time. I don't sleep around, and I've never had a one night stand. I've just been working. This is actually the first time I've reached out to someone since I was in high school."**

 _"I'm sorry it's been such a rough week for you. I can't begin to imagine what that's like. This is the first time I've talked to a guy that wasn't family, married to a friend, or on my payroll since college. Can I ask why me?"_

 **"Why you? Because I looked at you and thought, wow. Because you didn't know who I was at first sight. Because you didn't look at me like I was something to eat. Because when I looked at you, it was like something inside me finally woke up after being asleep for so long. Too much? Did I scare you off yet?"**

 _"No. It's a lot to process though. I'm not sure what to say or what to make of all that. As I said, all of this is very unexpected. I wasn't prepared for this. I wasn't prepared for you."_

 **"I get it. I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing either. I just feel like I should be honest with you. I'm not trying to feed you lines or anything like that. I just don't want to put up some façade. I act for a living. I don't need to act when the cameras are not on. I'd rather just be me and see what happens. I don't expect anything from you, Bella, and I would hate to make you uncomfortable in any way."**

 _"Thank you for that. Can we just start off quietly and slow? We can see where that goes. I don't want to jump in to anything without looking, and I don't want one of us to get hurt or burned. We both have public lives whether we like it or not, and whatever happens between us will have consequences. I want to make sure that we're both ready for whatever might come next. If there is something that comes next."_

 **"I think that sounds reasonable, and I agree. I don't want all of the bullshit that comes with my life to affect you in an adverse way. Even if we only become friends, I don't want anything that is a part of me to hurt you. That wouldn't be fair. Let's just take it one day at a time and see what happens."**

 _"Thank you for understanding, and thank you again for the flowers. Have a good rest of your day."_

 **"You too. Thank you for texting me."**

Bella held her phone in her hands and just stared at the text chain. She was dumbfounded. She didn't know what to do, and she was at so much of a loss that it felt like she was paralyzed.

It was in times like this that she wished she could call her mom for advice, but Renee wasn't that kind of a mom. She knew that Renee loved her, but she just wasn't the mature, maternal type. Even though she had a good relationship with Sue, Bella didn't feel completely comfortable going to her with any of this. Sue didn't fully understand Bella's life and everything that went along with it.

So Bella reached out to the next best person. An hour later, Angela was sitting in Bella's living room. Angela had taken the rest of the day off, and she changed into a pair of Bella's pajama pants and old *NSYNC concert tee shirt. Even though it was barely noon, they had an open bottle of Duckhorn Merlot on the table with a large pepperoni pizza that Angela picked up on the way over.

After the first glass of wine was gone, Angela turned to her friend, and said, "Okay, Bella. What's the deal? You rarely ever throw up the Bat Signal. What's going on?"

"A boy sent me flowers today," Bella said quietly, pointing to the flowers on the counter.

"Aw! You met someone? When? Who is it?" Angela asked as she looked at the enormous bouquet. Bella grabbed a piece of pizza and shoved it in her mouth. She mumbled something incoherent, which was a classic nervous tick of hers. "You're really freaking out about this. Bel, who sent you the flowers?"

Bella swallowed the pizza and took a huge sip of wine before saying, "Edward Cullen."

"Edward Cullen?" Angela said. "Like, THE Edward Cullen? The actor? How did you meet him?"

"He's Alice Cullen's sister, and I literally bumped into him yesterday after my fitting. I was coming out of the bathroom and pulled a Bella. I fell right into him," Bella said feeling her cheeks and ears burn bright with her blush.

Angela smiled. "That's awesome, B. You guys must have hit it off if he sent you flowers. How did he know where you lived?"

"He sent them to Grey. I happened to be there meeting with Vanessa and Jake when they were delivered," Bella said. After another sip, she said, "The weird thing is that we barely said more than ten words to each other yesterday. All I did was apologize profusely for falling into him. So it was a complete surprise when he sent me these beautiful flowers today along with his phone number."

"He gave you his number?!" Angela asked. "Holy cow. Girls would kill for Edward Cullen's number. Did you call him back?"

Bella shoved another huge bite of pizza in her mouth before admitting, "No. But I text him."

"And?" Angela knew that this was hard for Bella. She was an introvert, and she was naturally shy. She could be confident and assertive when it came to her work and the foundation, but she was only really extroverted with her close friends and family. Otherwise, Bella tended to be very guarded.

Instead of answering Angela directly, she handed Angela the phone, so she could read the texts herself. She watched as Angela read through all of them with a small smile on her face. When Angela gave Bella back the phone, Bella asked quietly, "Do you think I did the right thing?"

Angela reached forward and put both hands on Bella's shoulders. "Yes. I think you absolutely did the right thing for you."

"What should I do now?" Bella asked. "I'm at such a loss. It's frustrating me and pissing me off. They should write books about this shit. Wait, I know they do, but I don't want to read them. I want you to just tell me what to do. Please? Please, I'm begging you, Ang."

Angela laughed softly and shook Bella a little. "Bella, you are a grown woman. You are wildly successful, and you're smarter than anyone I know. But, I also think that you're a little socially inept when it comes to boys."

Bella pouted. "Not helping, Ang."

"Just keep talking to him, Bella. You can talk however you feel comfortable. If you're more comfortable just texting because it's a form of writing, then do that. If you get to the point where you can talk to him over the phone, do that. Then, when you feel like you can talk to him face to face, you can take the baby step to a Skype, or you can go on a full blown date. There are no rules, honey. It's what feels right for you and for Edward," Angela said. Squeezing Bella's shoulders, she said, "And the good thing about all of this is he seems to be happy with going at your pace. Follow your heart, B. Your brain will only get you in trouble on this one. You're too damn smart for your own good sometimes."

Bella leaned down and rest her head on Angela's forearm. "But I like being smart. There's less ambiguity when you just know the answer. It's safer. I like safer."

Angela moved her hands to the sides of Bella's face. Squishing Bella's cheeks together, she said, "Isabella Marie Swan, when have you ever played it safe? Really? You sent your first manuscript out to a publishing house when you were in high school. You bought your first property the day you turned 18. You bought your first million dollar listing when you turned 21. You gamble every day when you put that piece of yourself into a book and put it out there for the world to see. You are one of the bravest people I know. So stop being such a chicken shit and talk to this boy. He's just a boy, Bella. He might be famous, and he might be really fucking pretty. But he's just a boy."

Bella knew she looked like a nodding fish, but she bobbed her head up and down anyway. When Angela released her cheeks, she picked up her wine glass and offered a toast. "To talking to boys."

Angela tapped her glass to Bella and said, "Yes. To talking to boys. I can't wait for the day when we're toasting to you having sex with boys again."


	7. Chapter 7

#Belward – Chapter 7

 ** _A/N: Special thank you to FicSisters for the recommendation and support. Thank you to DataByteDL-FanGirlinGranma for being awesome, and to Googly for being honest. I appreciate each and every one of you who review and take time to leave a comment. It motivates me to keep writing. Thank you all so much._**

#####

After Edward finished his workout at the gym, he found himself in a cab on the way to Jasper's office in Brooklyn. When he got there, he checked in with Jasper's front desk minion, Quil. After being cleared, Edward was able to enter the executive offices on the fifth floor. Quil must have let Jasper know that he was there because Jasper had his office door open and was leaning against the door frame facing the elevator.

"Well, well, well. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" Jasper asked. He stuck his hand out and the two exchanged the typical male handshake/one-armed hug. Stepping back from the door frame, Jasper motioned for Edward to follow him into his office. "Want something to drink? I've got water, regular coke, and coffee. Sorry, no cherry coke. That stuff is just nasty."

"You have no idea what you're missing," Edward said, sitting in the chair across from Jasper's desk. "Water is good."

Jasper reached in the mini fridge and threw a bottle of water at Edward. "So, what's up, man? Decided to go for an adventure in Brooklyn?"

"Aside from myself, you're the most logical person in this family," Edward said. After taking a sip of his water, he continued, "I guess I need an opinion on something, and I need an unbiased third party."

Jasper had known Edward longer than he'd known Alice. They met as soon as he'd discharged from the Army and was thinking about starting his own security company. Even though Edward had been a relatively famous actor by that time, he still took a chance and hired him to install the security in his home and provide him with a body guard. Granted, that bodyguard was Embry, but that was another story. Over the years, Jasper had come to value Edward's friendship and considered him to be a brother regardless of his marriage to Alice.

What made Jasper good at his job was that he was a people-reader. Jasper knew just by looking at Edward that he was nervous, and Edward rarely got nervous. Knowing that this must really be important to Edward, Jasper leaned back in his chair and asked, "What's going on, Edward? Is everything okay? Are you in trouble?"

Edward quickly shook his head. "No. I'm not in trouble, J. You can't tell Alice what I'm telling you because she'll get all excited and fly off the hinge prematurely. You know how she gets when she's amped up about something."

"Of course," Jasper said. There was a lot that he dealt with in his professional life that he couldn't share with Alice, and she understood that. Luckily, she didn't expect Jasper to share every detail of his day with her, and she accepted that sometimes he had to withhold information from her. "Your secrets are always safe with me, unless it involves anyone being in danger. You know that."

"I met a girl yesterday." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Edward felt like an idiot. He felt himself blushing, and he couldn't stop it. Feeling even more like a pubescent teenager, Edward said, "I think I actually like her."

"Edward, you know that it's okay for you to be interested in a woman, right?" Jasper asked. He knew that Edward held himself back a lot because he felt like he needed to prove himself to Hollywood, and he also knew that Edward understood the full gravity of his celebrity status and the consequences that would befall any woman he chose to date.

"I do, but it's just so weird. I haven't been interested in anyone for so long. I haven't even had the inkling to talk to a woman for personal reasons. I shut down that part of my brain, and I was really okay with all that," Edward said. Running his hand through his hair, he said, "You know everyone thinks that guys are such fucking horn dogs that we need to get laid in regular intervals or we go nuts. But you know what? I think not getting laid actually made me better. I could actually focus on shit without getting distracted by sex every five minutes."

Shrugging his shoulders, Jasper said, "I'm just going to have to take your word on that one, Bro. I get laid on a very consistent and regular basis. I'm a happy, happy man."

"Shut the fuck up, Whitlock. I don't want to hear about your sex life with my sister," Edward said. Shaking his head, he refocused himself. "This is going to sound so fucking cheesy, and I swear to God I didn't borrow this line from one of my movies. But when I met her, it was like a flip switched, and part of me was alive again. I'm not saying it's love at first sight or anything, but I'm definitely interested in her. I can't stop thinking about her."

"Did you get her number?" Jasper asked. "Does she even know you're interested in her?"

"I didn't really get to talk to her when we first met because she got commandeered by your wife and Rosalie. I guess Rosalie must've known I was interested because she text me Bella's number later," Edward said. Running his hand through his hair again, he said, "But I didn't call her. I didn't want her to get freaked out that I had her number. So I sent flowers to her office. She text me back, and we had a nice text conversation."

"The girls know her? Then yeah, you better keep this information to just us. They're going to fuck shit up if they know you're seriously interested," Jasper said. He loved his wife more than his own life, but the woman could go a little overboard sometimes.

"I don't know what to do, J. I've been out of the game for so long that I think I forgot how to play," Edward said miserably.

Jasper grabbed the tennis ball he kept on his desk and threw it at Edward who caught it before it hit him square in the forehead. "First of all, dipshit, if you think it's a game you better leave this girl alone now. You're too fucking old to be playing stupid ass games with women. If you think of it like a game with intricate chess-like moves then of course it's going to be intimidating and overwhelming. But if you just think of it as building a relationship with a new friend, then it'll come more naturally to you."

Edward squeezed the tennis ball in his hand a couple of times before tossing it back at Jasper. "Thanks, man. I knew you were good enough to marry my sister."

"Dude, aside from your parents, I am the smartest motherfucker in this family," Jasper said with a cocky nod of his head.

Edward laughed and said, "So between my parents, who is smarter?"

Jasper just scoffed. "That's a stupid question. Esme is by far the smartest. I've gone head to head with the craziest fucking insurgents, and none of them scare me as much as Esme does. That woman is the master of mental kung fu. She's my fucking hero, man."

#####

The next day, Bella arrived in Los Angeles. When she got in the cab, she sent a quick text to Charlie to let him know that she'd arrived safely. Even though she was 30 years old, her dad still worried, and that in itself warmed her heart and made her feel loved.

 _"Landed in LA. In the cab on the way to the house. Got a couple of hours to freshen up before the scholarship awards reception. Will call you tomorrow. Have a good night. Love you."_

 _"Glad you're safe and sound, Bells. Stop riding in cabs all the time. You have enough money. Hire a car service or a driver. It's safer. Stop making your dear old dad worry. Be careful and make sure to rest. Love you too."_

Bella smiled. Charlie was the best dad. She knew that she was lucky to have him, and part of her motivation to become successful was always to be able to take care of him. Even after she'd paid off the mortgage on their house, Charlie insisted on keeping his job at the New Jersey Police Department. He said he needed to keep busy, or he'd get old too fast. He also wouldn't let her pay for Leah and Seth's college tuition. They needed to learn to make their own way, he said.

As she debated whether or not to text Renee, Bella's phone chimed with a new message. When she opened it, she was pleasantly surprised to see that it was from Edward.

 **"Hi, Bella. How are you?"**

 _"Hi, Edward. I'm good. I just got into LA, and I'm sitting in fabulous LA traffic."_

 **"Really? I just got into LA too. Which airport did you fly out of?"**

 _"I flew out of Newark, but I flew private. That actually embarrasses me now that I've actually said it."_

 **"Why would you be embarrassed? My body guard Embry keeps harassing me about getting a private plane, but I haven't given in yet. It must be nice and convenient."**

 _"It is. I have to fly so often that it just made more sense for me to have my own plane. I don't have to deal with TSA and all the airport delays. I have a bed I can sleep in when I need to, and I can work in peace without someone bumping my chair or flight attendants asking me if I want more stale pretzels."_

 **"I have to admit that I Googled you after we texted yesterday. I figured it was only fair since you Googled me.** **:)** **"**

 _"You know, I've never actually Googled myself. Did you find anything interesting? What did it say about me?"_

 **"I am not one of those people that think that if Google and Wikipedia said it then that means it's the absolute truth. I read that you published your first book at 16, and you have authored more than 45 books since then. You are a graduate of NYU and you majored in Library Science. That was a little surprising. It wasn't what I expected."**

 _"A lot of people expected me to graduate with a degree in literature or creative writing. But I needed a back-up career. At that time I wasn't deep into real estate either, so I needed to know that I had a plan if one day people decided they weren't interested in the characters and the worlds I created. I've always loved books and being a librarian seemed like something that would've made me happy."_

 **"That's kind of the same reason I went to Dartmouth and graduated pre-med. I never ended up going into medical school, but I could always go back if I wanted to."**

 _"Tell me something about yourself that Google and Wikipedia don't know."_

 **"I'm obsessed with mouthwash, and it has to be the blue Listerine. I'm kind of a hygiene freak, and I always carry a small travel sized bottle of mouthwash in my backpack."**

 _"That probably helps when you have to do all those interviews and kissing scenes, huh?"_

 **"I do it to be courteous to those I have to talk to and the actresses I have to kiss, but not all of them are as courteous back."**

 _"Really?!"_

 **"Trust me. Some of these women look glamorous and put together when the cameras are rolling, but once the cameras are gone they're nightmares."**

 _"What was the worst kiss you ever had?"_

 **"There was this one actress who shall remain nameless that actually ate real food. She wasn't a rabbit, and we had to shoot an intimate scene after a lunch break. She was a really nice person, but she was a little clueless. She had a polish hot dog with onions and garlic fries for lunch, and then proceeded to make out with me on screen. I have to admit that I think I deserved an Oscar for that performance. It was so hard to pretend to be turned on when all I could smell and taste was onions, garlic, and hot dog."**

 _"Oh my god. That's disgusting. My last boyfriend was in college, and he was a social smoker. I know some girls like the taste of smoke and alcohol, but I didn't like it. It was a huge turn off to me."_

 **"Rest assured that I don't smoke anymore. I did when I first came to Hollywood because it's just something that everyone did, but as soon as I had to start training for some action roles I realized what it did to my lungs. I could barely make it through a scene without wheezing. I quit really fast after that. Tell me something about you that I can't find on the internet."**

 _"There's probably a lot about me that can't be found online. Most of what my life is publicly is smoke and mirrors. It's a thinly veiled metaphor of what my real life actually is like, but fair is fair. I'm ambidextrous. I can actually write clearly with both hands. It helps when I storyboard sometimes."_

 **"Wow, that's pretty cool. How long will you be in LA?"**

 _"I'll be here for the week. Then I'll go back to NY for a week because I have to go to the MTV Movie Awards, which I really don't want to do."_

 **"Really? Me too. What do you have to go for?"**

 _"My screenplay for 'Born in Blood' is nominated for an award, so my agent says that it'll be good for me to go and broaden my appeal to a new audience. I became a writer so I wouldn't have to deal with people, and now I'm getting shoved down a red carpet. That didn't really work out the way I'd planned."_

 **"Congratulations on your nomination. I feel your pain. I have to go as a presenter, and after all of the hassle that the press has been giving me this week, I'm not too enthused about going. Part of me wants to suggest that we go together because that might make it more bearable for both of us, but I know we're not nearly ready for that yet. It would do more harm than good."**

 _"Yeah, going to an awards ceremony together is a much bigger leap than I'm prepared for right now. But at least I know I'll have a friend there. Will Rosalie be there too?"_

 **"She's actually up for the Best Kiss award I think. Since Em doesn't have practice, I think he's even going to go as her date. I don't think he realizes that if she wins, she'll likely have to kiss her costar on stage in front of him."**

 _"Both of them are going to be there? I have an idea for you that might make the Awards more entertaining for you."_

 **"I'm listening…"**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Happy Memorial Day Weekend. I don't know how often I'll be able to update over the weekend, but I will try. Starting next week, updates will be slower. Sorry!**

#####

#Belward – Chapter 8

Some people say that it takes 30 days to develop a habit. Other say that it takes 60 or even 90 days. Regardless of what anyone said, Edward had quickly developed a habit of texting Bella at least once a day. He would text her just to say good morning, and she would text him back. This would then lead into a short conversation over text message. Eventually their texts got longer and happened sporadically throughout the day.

They both still had their busy schedules and would continue their text conversation in and round their appointments. Sometimes it would be a few hours before they could continue whatever it was that they were discussing or sharing, but they would always end up saying goodnight to each other.

The day that Bella text him first, Edward felt like he was walking on sunshine and rainbows all day. He happened to have a photo shoot, and the photographer was thrilled that Edward was so agreeable and naturally cheerful. No one had to coax him to smile, and he looked like he was genuinely having fun.

During the whole week that they were both in LA together, Edward and Bella learned more about each other. Their text messages hadn't yet progressed to phone calls, and both of them were fairly comfortable with that. Neither side pushed for more, and they both felt like their friendship was developing naturally and organically. There were no pretenses, and neither of them felt like they had pretend to be anything that they weren't for the other person.

When Edward got back to New York City, he went to Emmett's to have dinner. He brought the beer and wine for Rosalie, and Rosalie's housekeeper made the food. Since he'd already had his pepperoni pizza for lunch, he was up to anything for dinner.

Emmett grabbed a beer for Edward and one for himself and put the rest in the refrigerator. He sat at the counter next to Edward and asked, "Are you staying at a hotel again?"

Edward took a long sip of his beer and nodded. "Yeah. I'm at the Ritz. Why?"

"Why do you do that? You know you can always stay at Mom's, at Alice's or here at our place. Why do you choose to stay in a hotel every time you come to The City?" Emmett asked.

Edward just shrugged. "I don't know. I guess it's just a habit to stay in a hotel. I don't want to impose and be the third wheel, and that's what I would be at any of your places."

"You know we don't feel that way about you, Edward," Emmett said. For as much as he was the joker of the family, he could be serious when the time came, and he had a lot of heart when it came to his baby brother.

"Are you still planning to go to the Movie Awards tomorrow?" Edward asked.

"Yeah. Alice even made me come in for a fitting. I'm not the star. I don't get what it matters what I wear," Emmett said just as Rosalie walked into the kitchen.

"Because, doll face, you're my arm ornament," Rosalie said. Taking a wine glass out of the cabinet, she opened the bottle that Edward brought over.

Edward took another long sip of his beer and looked at both Emmett and Rosalie. "So, I was wondering if you guys could help me do something tomorrow night. It's not my usual style, but I'm just so tired of these media fuckers thinking they know everything."

Emmett's eyes lit up with a mischievous glint before he stopped himself. Turning to Edward he said, "Bro, you know I'm down for anything, and I will always help you hide the body. But you have to know that I'm on warning from Goodell. He had a sit down with me at the end of last season and told me that I need to grow up. I'm not a young kid anymore, and I need to start showing these young kids how to be a professional representation of the National Football League."

"Wow, Em, I'm impressed that you actually articulated that as well as you did, "Edward said in shock.

Emmett pouted and stared down at his beer. "That's because Goodell made me repeat it back to him five times before I could leave the office. He said starting next season, he wants to see a more mature Emmett Cullen."

Smirking, Edward clapped his brother on the shoulder. "Then it's a good thing the next season hasn't started yet."

"Holy shit! You are my brother!"

#####

Bella wanted to die. She really, really wanted to die. She was lying in Angela's office on the couch with the hood of her sweatshirt pulled over her face as far as it could go. It felt like everyone was ganging up on her, and she didn't like it.

Angela and Ben were on one side of her, and Jake and Vanessa were on the other. They were prepping her for the Movie Awards, and they thought they were easing her anxiety by talking her through it. The reality was that they were making it worse. The more they talked about press, cameras, and fans, the more she started to lose her mind.

Grabbing the pillow off the side of the couch, she pulled it over her face and started to push down in a futile effort to smother herself. As soon as she got it over her face, Jake's big mutt hands grabbed it and pulled it away. But she was determined and she held on for dear life. Unfortunately for Bella, Jake was much stronger than she was and all that ended up happening was the top half of her body was dangling from the pillow about three inches above the couch.

Giving up, Bella let go of the pillow and plopped back down onto the couch. Groaning, she turned on her side and curled up into the fetal position. "I think I'm going to have an anxiety attack. I don't want to do this."

Vanessa stood up and went to sit next to Bella's feet. She lay a hand on Bella's leg and said, "I know you don't want to do this, but Bella this is good for you. It's the right step in your career, and you'll be just fine."

"I don't feel fine," Bella mumbled as she curled tighter into a ball.

Jake tucked the pillow back behind Bella's back on the couch and said softly, "Bella, you are a kick ass writer. You might be obsessive and controlling when it comes to your work, but you are the best at what you do. No one is as good as you, and that's why you were able to turn an awesome book into a fuckawesome movie. You have fans, and they want to see you. They want to get to know the person that provides them with the entertainment that they crave. Some of them have supported you in everything that you do, and this is your chance to get to know them. I know it scares the shit out of you to take down that wall of protection that separates you from the masses, but you're stronger than anything that might threaten you. You have to give yourself more credit."

Bella looked at Jake as if he'd grown a second head. She blinked a couple of times and reached out to poke him in the forehead. "Did I just hallucinate that?"

Angela shook her head and stared at Jake with the same awestruck look as Bella. "If you did then I had the same hallucination. I'm shocked, Jake."

Jake sat back in his chair with a smug expression. "See? I'm fucking amazing. I keep telling you guys that, and no one seems to believe me."

Ben looked at Jake and said in a stage whisper, "Dude, I'd quit while you were ahead. You're losing momentum fast."

Quickly, Jake cleared his throat and sat back up again. "Bella, everyone believes in you-"

"Shut up, Jakey," Bella said. Sitting up, she stomped her feet a few times before standing up. "If this backfires and the world sees what a dork I really am, then I blame you, Jake. I'll never do anything like this again, and you'll have to answer to Mr. Grey as to why I refuse to do any more public appearances."

"Wait a minute," Jake said. "Why is it automatically my fault if you fuck up?"

Vanessa smacked herself on the forehead, and shook her head. "My god. This is one of those moments where the reality of forever with you just seems terrifying."

Jake looked over at Vanessa and leered at her with what he called his "sexy eyes", and said, "Let's go back to our office, and I'll show you why forever with me is-"

"NO! Do not finish that sentence," Bella yelled. "I will have nightmares if I have any mental imagery of you in any way that is remotely sexual."

Ben looked over at Jake and gave him a high five. "These walls are surprisingly soundproof huh?"

Angela dropped her face into her hands, and Bella looked between the four other people in the room. "You mean to tell me that office sex is a normal occurrence around here?"

"Bel, what other perk is there to working with your spouse than work sex?" Ben said. "Every guy fantasizes about bending his wife over the desk and just-"

Angela threw her hand over Ben's mouth and smiled at Bella through her blush. "Bella, I think you have your last fitting with Alice. You better get going."

"Thank god," Bella said. "I never thought I'd be happier about going to a clothing thing than I am right now. I am thoroughly scandalized."

#####

It was the day of the MTV Movie Awards, and Edward was a little nervous. He wasn't usually nervous about award shows, but tonight was going to be a little bit different. He was going to mess with the media a little bit, and he had never done anything like that before.

Rachel had just done his hair and left him to take care of her other client when Alice text him.

 _"On my way over now, Bub. Don't you dare dress yourself. Wait until I get there."_

He was a guy. All he had to do was put on the clothes hanging on the closet. How hard could that be? Why couldn't he be trusted to do these things by himself? Just as he was about to sit down to watch some television, his phone chimed with another text from Alice.

 _"BTW, Bella looks hot af if I do say so myself."_

 **"Alice, turn your autocorrect on. What is af?"**

 _"Bub, really? AF = as fuck. I said Bella looks hot as fuck."_

 **"Oh, well why didn't you just say that to begin with? Why do you have to abbreviate everything? And why would it matter to me what Bella looks like? Everyone you dress looks good."**

 _"Don't lie to me, Bub. I saw you eye fucking her the other week at my place."_

 **"Seriously, Alice. How can I eye fuck someone when I don't even know what that is? You're so ridiculous. Will you just hurry up before I start dressing myself? I need to leave soon."**

Not a minute later, there was a rapturous banging on his door. Within 10 minutes, Alice had Edward dressed with threats not to mess himself up in the car on the way to the red carpet.

#####

Bella was so thankful that Alice and Rosalie were at her fitting the day before. They taught her how to walk down the red carpet and how to stop and pose for the cameras. Rosalie showed her how to stand so that her butt and boobs looked good, and how to tilt her face to eliminate any chance of a double-chin. Rosalie had shared with her what to expect, and she knew that she was scheduled to walk down the carpet a few minutes before Rosalie.

When she was almost three quarters of the way down the red carpet, she started to feel some relief. She was almost home free for this part of the evening. Just as she was about to turn to face the other side of the carpet, she heard the other end of the red carpet erupt in a cacophony of noise. Turning her head, she looked to see what everyone was looking at. Maybe there was a wardrobe malfunction.

What she saw made her laugh out loud.

 _Holy shit, he did it!_ Bella thought.

There in the middle of the red carpet was Edward with Emmett on one arm and Rosalie on the other. As they changed positions for each of the cameras, they got more and more Zoolander in their poses with each other. Eventually, the two boys ended up with Rosalie in the middle grabbing both of their asses.

Before they walked down the red carpet, the three of them lifted up their left hands to show off the huge Ring Pops that they had on their left hands. Each of them took an exaggerated lick of the Ring Pop before heading down to the next stop on the carpet where they proceeded with the ridiculousness one more time.

When Bella got into the theater and was seated, she took out her phone and sent Edward a text.

 _"Oh my god, that was great! I can't believe you did that. I don't think anyone expected you to be so ridiculous. The screams were so loud! I'm proud of you."_

About ten minutes later, Edward sat down in his seat which just happened to be behind Bella.

 **"Thanks. Emmett was more than willing to help me, and Rosalie is always down to give the media the finger. I have one more thing in my pocket, so we'll see how it goes. Alice was right. You do look hot tonight."**

 _"Thank you. You look quite nice yourself."_

 **"This is the coolest thing. For the first time, I can see you blush. It's adorable."**

 _"Oh my god. My ears are glowing red aren't they?"_

 **"Yeah, they are. Don't worry. It's cute."**

 _"Easy to say when you're not the one with the glowing ears!"_

The Awards ceremony started and when Bella's category was announced, Edward could see her tense up a little. He wished he could reach forward to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but he couldn't. When her name was called and she won, he wanted to jump up and hug her. But he restrained himself and watched her walk up to the stage.

When Bella got up on stage, she could feel her whole body shaking. She clutched the popcorn statue to her, so she didn't drop it, and took a deep breath. She stepped up to the microphone and willed her voice to be strong.

"Wow, this is really unexpected. Thank you so much to every person who has ever read any one of my books. You drive me to keep writing, and I can't thank you enough for the support you've given me year after year. Thank you to Fox Studios for wanting to turn 'Born in Blood' into a movie, and for allowing me to adapt it myself. You took a chance on me, and I appreciate your faith in me. Thank you to everyone who worked on this film. You made my dream, the voices in my head, turn into a reality, and you guys are phenomenal. Thank you!"

Edward watched Bella walk off stage. He knew she'd have to do a few more press interviews back there, and he pulled out his phone to send her a quick text.

 **"Congratulations, Bella! I'm so proud of you. You made a great speech, and you didn't look nervous at all. You did it!"**

He knew it would be a little while before he heard back from her, and before he knew it he was being called up to present. When he got backstage with Neil Patrick Harris, he stood in the wings and whispered to Neil, "You sure Dave's okay with this?"

Neil just laughed and clapped Edward on the shoulder. "He thinks it's funny as shit. He just wishes he could trade places with me."

Edward let out some nervous laughter, and took Neil's hand. Together, they walked out on stage hand in hand. When they got to the microphone, Neil pulled Edward closer, and put his arm low around Edward's waist.

"Ladies and Gentleman, I want to share with you that David and I have found someone that makes our little family of four into an unbelievably happy family of five. Now, I'm a little jealous that he pulled that stunt outside. This ass is mine."

With that, Neil grabbed a nice big handful of Edward's ass. Ducking his head bashfully, Edward lay a hand on Neil's chest and said, "Babe, you're embarrassing me. Come on, we're supposed to announce the nominees for this next category."

"Shoot, sorry. You know I get distracted easily by the hotness," Neil said without letting go of Edward's butt. "The nominees for Best Kiss are…"

When they got to the winner, Edward said a few quick prayers in his head. There was only one more thing that could make this night perfect. Opening the envelope, he did a mental fist pump.

"The winner for best kiss is Rosalie Hale and Laurent Tourandeau!"

From his place on the stage, he could see Rosalie smirk. He watched her run to the stage and push Neil out of the way. Loudly enough for the microphone to catch, Rosalie said, "He's mine, Bitch."

Pushing Neil out of the way, Rosalie grabbed Edward's collar and pulled in for a kiss. Not to be outdone, Neil leaned into the microphone and said, "I can share."

Wrapping one arm around Edward's waist and one arm around Rosalie's waist, he pulled the two of them to him and added his lips to the mix.

The cat calls, laughter, and shouts in the auditorium were deafening. Edward was a little worried that Laurent would be offended that he wasn't getting his due for winning the award, but he was happy when they all broke a part and saw Laurent laughing and clapping next to them. When Laurent gave him two thumbs up, Edward turned back to the audience and gave them one last wave before grabbing Neil's hand to walk off stage.

When they were backstage, Edward pulled Neil into a hug. "Thanks, man. That was awesome. Please tell Dave I said he's a lucky man."

Neil just laughed and said, "I'm the lucky one. Any time you want to throw the finger to these voracious, rumor spreading bastards, I'm in. This was awesome, Edward. I haven't had this much fun in years!"

When Rosalie and Laurent finished their acceptance speech, Rosalie ran off stage laughing and jumped into Edward's arms. "That was the best, Hubs! You were awesome tonight. I'm so proud of you for finally sticking one to the paps."

Setting Rosalie on the ground, Edward turned to Laurent and extended his hand. "Congratulations, Laurent. I'm sorry for wreaking havoc on your award."

Laurent shook Edward's hand and just shook his head. "No way, Edward. That was the most I've enjoyed an awards show in years. Next time you decide to do something I want in."

Edward just laughed and walked back to his seat. When he sat down, he pulled out his phone.

 _"Thank you! I was so nervous. I thought I was going to drop the statue and break it. That would have been mortifying. I don't even remember what I said. I trust you'd tell me if I sounded like an idiot, right?"_

 _"Holy shit! That was awesome! Neil had one hell of a grip on your ass. It looked like you'll have five fingerprint bruises on your right cheek later. So, what does a three-way kiss feel like?"_

 **"Thanks. I'm on such an adrenaline rush right now. I had to beg and plead with the producers to switch the line-up so I could present this award on the hope that Rose would win. I thought she might, and it was such a rush. That was by far the strangest thing I've ever done. Having two mouths on mine at the same time was not something I want to repeat ever again. I am a one woman kind of a guy. That much is for sure."**

 _"Good to know…"_


	9. Chapter 9

#Belward – Chapter 9

It had been few days since the MTV Movie Awards, and Bella was finally starting to feel like life was returning to "normal." Jake had reluctantly started to understand that doing one awards show did not equate to going on the late night talk show circuit. Just because all of the gossip magazines loved her outfit and called her the "Hot New Thing in Hollywood" did not mean that she was going to take Tinsel Town by storm. She'd technically been a professional twice as long as most of the others on the "Best Dressed Lists", and she had no desire to compete with them for attention.

The relationship between Bella and Edward continued to grow, and Bella was now very accustomed to having Edward as part of her every day routine. At some point every day there would be a text conversation with him, and those began to be the highlight of her day. It took a rather lengthy conversation with Angela over some Chinese take-out and a bottle or two of Joseph Phelps Insingia to make her understand that Edward was leaving the ball in her court to transition their relationship from texting to actual talking.

So here she was sitting in her Condo in New York looking out the window over Central Park. The sun had set about an hour ago, and darkness was just starting to creep in. Somehow it felt safer to call him when it was dark. It was like the darkness was hiding her from all the things that might embarrass her by making this phone call.

When she finally got up the guts to press send, she suddenly realized that she hadn't thought through what she would say if his voicemail picked up. After the first ring, Bella started to panic. Luckily, he picked up by the second ring.

"Bella! Hi, I'm so glad you called," Edward said. The surprise and evident elation in his voice made Bella feel much more reassured and confident, and she relaxed. "What's up?"

"Nothing much. I just thought maybe it was time for us to actually talk instead of just texting all the time. I know there are a lot of people out there who don't use their phone to call or have real conversations anymore, but I still find value in it," Bella said.

"Me too." Edward was relieved. He couldn't believe she finally called him. He was getting nervous that she wouldn't, but he wanted to be a gentleman and leave the ball in her court to make sure she was comfortable with the progression of their relationship. "What are you doing now?"

"I just finished writing not too long ago, so I'm just hanging out at home tonight. I like my quiet nights in. Sometimes there's so much going on inside my head with all the characters and their voices when I write, that just being able to sit and be quiet is a blessing sometimes," she said quietly. It was so silent in her apartment, that Bella felt like she needed to speak softly, and luckily Edward could hear her without asking her to talk louder.

"I get like that when I'm working on a film. There's so much going on inside my head that sometimes I just need to turn it all off," Edward said. His voice was soft and warm, and it was so comforting to Bella. It made her wonder why she hadn't been talking to him on the phone for the past few weeks because it was so mice to just hear his voice. "I know some people prefer method acting, but there's kind of a reason why the people that do that tend to go a little crazy sometimes. It's really hard to subject yourself to all the noise in your head constantly."

Bella smiled. She felt safe with him, and she knew that she could be honest with him. She needed to be honest with him, and he needed her honesty. It was the basis of their relationship, and they both risked a lot by sharing as much as they had with the other person. They were both such private people, and yet they'd already invested so much trust into what they had together. Bella knew that she had to believe and have the utmost faith in what they'd built together so far.

"I'm glad I called you," she said. "I like hearing your voice. It's comforting to me."

Edward smiled so wide his cheeks hurt. "I'm really glad you called too. Your voice is soothing to me. I needed to hear your voice after the day I had."

A protective streak that she didn't know she had in her arose, and Bella felt her hackles rise. "Are you okay? What happened?"

Edward shrugged even though he knew Bella couldn't see him. "Nothing out of the ordinary. 'Just the typical irritating actor stuff. I had a meeting with my publicist, Irina, and she's absolutely thrilled with the new me. She thinks that I'm finally taking the stick out of my ass and loosening up. She wants me to commit to the next Seth Rogen/James Franco movie."

Bella's eyebrows shot up. "Really? She wants you to act in that kind of a movie? What did you tell her?"

"Hell no," Edward said. Laughing, he put his head back and closed his eyes, just focusing on her voice. "It took arguing with her for 30 minutes before she finally understood that this movie was not up for discussion. It was a closed topic that fell into the category of 'Absolutely Not'. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy watching those movies when I'm in the mood for it, but I'm just not the right fit for the film. Just because I can make fun of myself publicly does not mean I'm willing to self-deprecate."

The worry started to seep in before she could stop it. "Did what happened at the Movie Awards hurt you or do damage to your career?"

"No! No," Edward said. He knew that she was probably worrying and feeling guilty because she had partially suggested that he do something to metaphorically flip off the media. "I'm actually more popular now than ever. My movies are up on Netflix, and I have more offers for late night talk shows and future movies than my staff know what to do with. Rini just needs to chill the fuck out for a little bit. She's on a high, and she'll get off of it soon enough. Everything will level itself back out eventually."

Bella felt the breath that she'd been holding come out in a long sigh of relief. "Oh, okay. That's good. What are you doing now?"

"I'm on my way back to the hotel from dinner at my parent's house," Edward said. "There's some traffic on the bridge, so it's taking a little longer than it usually would at this hour."

For some reason, talking to Edward on the phone made Bella feel brave. "How long will you be in New York?"

Edward felt the tingles of hope start and he had to settle himself down. It was just a simple question. It could mean nothing. "I'm here until the end of the week. A few more days of talk shows and photo shoots before I have to head to London for more premiers and press junket stuff for the new movie."

The nerves started to kick in again, and Bella bit her lip so hard she thought she would break the skin. "Would you want to get together maybe before you have to leave again? I don't head back out of town for another four days. After that I have to be in Chicago for a week."

Even though it was now dark outside of the cab, Edward felt like he was glowing. The happiness radiating off of him was electric, and he felt like a fucking live wire. "Yeah, I would love to get together while we're both still in The City. What did you have in mind?"

"Well, what can we actually do?" Bella asked. A million scenarios ran through her head at the same time, and none of them actually ended well. "If we go out somewhere someone might catch a photo of us, and I don't know that I'm ready for that yet. All it takes is one cell phone shot to end up on TMZ, and rumors about you will start to fly all over again. They just got off your back, and I'd hate to be the cause of them coming after you again. They'd probably speculate that the whole stunt at the Awards was to detract from who you were actually dating, or that you were dating me to further quell rumors about you being gay or something."

Edward sighed. "You're right. I don't want them to bother you either. Now that they know your face from The Awards, you're not exactly anonymous. They'd find you and start to camp out and follow you to get a quote from you, or snap some embarrassing shot to try and incriminate either of us with something stupid."

"Well, you're staying at the Ritz, right?" Bella asked.

"Yeah, I usually stay here when I'm in the City," Edward confirmed.

"I could meet you there and bring lunch or dinner. That way we don't actually have to go out to see each other," Bella said. She couldn't believe how bold she'd gotten, but she just couldn't help how safe and secure she felt with Edward. She knew intrinsically that he wouldn't hurt her or do anything to put her in danger.

"That sounds great," Edward said. "I'm sorry that it's you that has to do all the work though. I kind of feel like an ass. If this were a real first date and we were normal people, I'd bring you flowers, pick you up, and take you out like you deserve," Edward said. He felt like shit because he couldn't do things normally like a regular person. Bella deserved all of the nice things that a real gentleman would do, and he just couldn't do that for her.

"You can owe me later," Bella said. "So when do you have time?"

Edward went through his calendar mentally and groaned. "My day is actually kind of heinous tomorrow. I have to be on Good Morning America, then I have a photo shoot with Rolling Stone in the afternoon, and then I have to go to this stupid Arts and Entertainment Gala at the Met. What about the day after? I have a couple of things in the morning, but I'll be free and clear by dinner."

"That sounds good," Bella said. "So it's a date?"

"It's a date."

#####

The next day, Bella did one of her favorite things. She picked up her favorite little munchkin and took her around the city. Because she had Aria with her, she hired a car service to make sure that they would be safe with Aria in a car seat. Since she was only four, it was safer for her to sit in a booster seat than just the backseat of the sedan.

They had just finished lunch at Serendipity, and Aria was well on her way to draining the big glass of frozen hot chocolate when Bella's phone chimed with a text from Rosalie. They'd been texting and talking on the phone pretty regularly, and Bella felt confident in saying that she'd made a couple of really good friends in Alice and Rosalie.

Quickly, an idea popped into Bella's head and by the time Aria was slurping the last bits of cold chocolately goodness, she had plans for a girls' night with Alice, Rosalie, Angela, and Vanessa.

An hour later, Bella walked through the door of Jake and Vanessa's condo in SoHo. Dropping all of the shopping bags in the entry, she watched Vanessa zip through the house.

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"

Jake came out of his home office with a bewildered look on his face. His daughter was talking a mile a minute, and she was streaking through all of the rooms and jumping off of the furniture. Spotting Bella and all the bags on his floor, he narrowed his eyes into a glare.

"Sissy Boo, what did you do to my sweet little princess?" Slowly, Jake stalked towards her as he listened to Aria's giggles echo throughout the house.

"Nothing, Jakey. We had a great time together today," Bella said nonchalantly. She shrugged her shoulders and said, "We had a triple chocolate donut for breakfast, a vanilla bean frappacino for our snack, and then we went to Serendipity for lunch. She was such a good girl because she ate all of her chicken fingers, so we had a frozen hot chocolate. On the way back, we passed the yummiest smelling churro cart, and we just had to get one. Oh, and there might have been some watermelon jelly beans in there somewhere. Hey, did you know that those suckers are green on the outside and red on the inside? Isn't that just the coolest thing?"

Aria was still giggling, and Jake could hear soft thumps in rapid succession meaning she was still running. Growling, Jake said, "What the fuck Bella? You sugared up my kid and you're just gonna return her all hyper and nuts like this?"

Smiling, Bella nodded. "Yup, and I'm stealing your wife for a girls' night. But don't worry. We're planning a sleepover, so you don't need to worry about her climbing into a cab drunk later tonight. I'll keep her safe and sound until tomorrow morning."

With that, Vanessa walked past Jake with her overnight bag on her shoulder. "Have a great daddy/daughter night! Love you!"

Jake kissed his wife and continued to glare at Bella. "I hate you, Sissy Boo. This is just mean and I am going to get you back!"

Bella just laughed as she looped her arm through Vanessa's and left a scowling Jacob to try to wrangle his sugar filled four year old.


	10. Chapter 10

#Belward – Chapter 10

Today was the day. It was date day. It was the first time Edward had woken up before his alarm in years, and he did so with a smile on his face. By the time he showered and met Embry at the car, Edward felt like he was in celebration mode. He swore his senses were heightened. He could hear the birds chirping over the Midtown traffic. He could smell the delicious baked goods from the bakery around the corner, and colors just seemed brighter and more radiant.

When he got in the car, Embry didn't pull away from the curb immediately. He turned to Edward from the driver's seat, and asked, "Edward, is there something you need to tell me?"

Instead of answering directly, Edward just shook his head with what he knew was a stupidly large grin on his face.

"Seriously," Embry said in a low tone. "I'm not joking around right now. Something is wrong with you. You've been acting weird for a couple of weeks now, and I'm concerned. We're friends, brothers even, and I care about you. If something is up, you can tell me. I'll get you whatever help you need. But you have to tell me, so I can do something."

Edward was genuinely touched by Embry's concern and toned down he smile as much as he could. "Embry, I'm fine. Thank you for being concerned. But I'm just happy. That's all. Life is good, and I'm enjoying it."

"I think you must be enjoying something else without my knowledge," Embry mumbled. Turning back to Edward one more time, he warned his friend. "I swear, Edward. I'm about three days from calling an intervention. If you don't tell me what the hell is going on with you in three days, I will get all kinds of A&E Real Life Documentary on your ass with an intervention. I'm not joking, Edward. I will call in the big gun. Yes, I mean your mother."

Edward rolled his eyes as Embry finally got the car moving. "Dude, do not get my mother all worked up for no reason. I'm fine. There's nothing going on that requires an intervention."

Swinging quickly in his seat, Embry pointed a finger at Edward. "Ah! But you admit that there is something going on!"

Pressing the palms of his hands to his eyes, Edward groaned. "There's lots of shit going on all the goddamn time. There hasn't been a fucking moment of calm and normalcy in over a decade. I'm just enjoying my success and taking in the beauty of each motherfucking day. Fuck!"

"Taking in the beauty of each day?" Embry repeated. "Really? Taking in the beauty of each day?! This is what I'm talking about, Dude! It's just not fucking normal! This shit ain't right, Man!"

"Motherfucking! You forgot about the motherfucking. Why are you censoring my words? Who the fuck are you, PBS? Holy fucking shit on a stick, Batman! God, what the hell is up your ass today that is driving you ride mine?" Edward ran his hands through his hair and pulled on the strands like he usually did when he got frustrated.

"See? See this right here? This is more normal," Embry said. Leaning back into the driver's seat, he said, "Now I'm starting to feel better."

"Well, halle-fucking-lullah! At one of us is feeling better. The other is irritated as shit right now."

#####

When Edward was between appointments, he had some time to kill, and he thanked his lucky stars that he was alone. He had enough of people asking him questions that morning. He knew he had one more interview to go, but he needed some time without people trying to figure him out or get a read on his inner workings. His inner workings were inside, and he wanted to keep it inside. Everyone else could just go fuck themselves today.

Taking out his phone, he checked his messages. It was only eleven, so it was still relatively early. However, it was oddly quiet for his sisters and Bella to not have sent him at least one text.

 **"Good morning, Bella. I can't wait to finally see you later tonight."**

 _"G'morning, Edward. I am so glad that we didn't decide to meet for a late lunch. I think I might still be hungover for the next few hours or so. Your sisters are machines, Edward."_

 **"Sweetheart, did you drink with my sisters last night? Oh, I wish I could have warned you ahead of time. They can drink like fish, and neither one gets hungover. It's really not safe for mere mortals to drink with them."**

 _"Hmmm, you called me Sweetheart. I think I like that."_

 _"Shit, I think I'm also still a little drunk. Goddamnit. I swear that I will be sober and coherent by the time we have our date tonight. What would you like me to bring for dinner?"_

 **"Anything is fine with me. In fact, I want you to bring your favorite take-out meal. I want to experience something you love as a way to get to know you better. Even if it's Totinos Pizza Rolls and RC Cola."**

 **"Oh, I hope I didn't make you more nauseous. Sorry."**

 _"Don't worry. I'm not nauseous. I just have a killer headache. Your sisters woke up bright as fucking sunshine looking like runway models before they danced out of here. Luckily Vanessa and Angela are in my boat with me. We're all still snuggled in the living room watching cheesy Lifetime movies."_

 **"Hey, don't knock Lifetime movies too much. I was in a couple back in the day. Do they know who you're talking to?"**

 _"No. They're still only half alive, and they probably think it's my mother. She's a little…okay a lot neurotic sometimes. Most times. All right, all of the time."_

 **"I was just wondering. Embry was badgering me this morning about why I've been so happy lately. He thinks he needs to schedule an intervention."**

 _"Aw, that's kind of sweet that you've been happier because of me."_

 **"Of course I'm happier because of you."**

 _"Me too. I think the girls have an inkling, but they're leaving me to myself until I decide to tell them anything. God, you should see my blush right now. Your sweet words combined with the after effects of the alcohol is making my entire head feel like it's bursting into flames."_

 **"Maybe I can see you blush like that again tonight."**

 **"Shoot, I'm sorry, Sweetheart, but I have to go. Embry's ready with the car downstairs. I can't wait to see you tonight."**

 _"7 hours and counting. Have a good rest of the day! Xoxo."_

Edward looked at his phone one more time before he laughed softly. He wondered if she realized that she signed the text with love. It didn't matter if it was the murmurings of slightly drunk and hungover Bella. He'd take it. In fact, when he got in the car, he was screenshotting that shit and using it as the home screen wallpaper. Thank fuck Embry didn't have the passcode to his phone.

#####

By five o'clock, Edward was pacing his hotel room like a caged animal. He couldn't sit down, and he couldn't stay still. He just kept walking around tidying up things. He swore he must have moved the remote control on the coffee table about thirty times. He rearranged the magazines on the top of the desk, and he had to keep reminding himself that it didn't really matter how things were positioned. He wasn't a feng shui master, and this wasn't even his place.

When there was a small, light knock on his door, he must have jumped at least four feet off the couch. Leaping to the door, he checked the peephole just to be sure. The sight on the other side of the door made his heart skip.

 _Good grief, when did I start turning into a chick?_ Edward thought to himself as he opened the door.

As the door opened, Bella felt her heart speed up. When she was finally face to face with Edward, she couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face from ear to ear. As she stood there in front of him, it felt like everything just clicked into place.

"Hi," Edward said softly. "I'm so glad you're finally here. Come in."

"Hi," Bella said just as softly. It almost felt like if she spoke too loudly, she would set off the alarms and break the perfect world that had just formed around them. Walking past Edward into the hotel suite, she couldn't help but notice how good he smelled. Even over the food in her arms, she could smell his clean, masculine scent. It wasn't overpowering like cologne. It was the scent that men's body wash commercials wish they could pipe through the television screens.

Reaching forward, Edward took the bags of food out of her hands and the drink tray. "Here, let me take those for you."

Walking over to the coffee table, Edward set the food down and stood back up to face Bella. Running a hand through his hair, he felt himself starting to blush. "I feel like I should hug you or something."

Bella watched the way Edward's blush reached all the way up to his ears and laughed. "This is awesome to see someone else blushing. You should hug me or you want to hug me?'

"Oh fuck. Shit. I want to hug you. Sorry. That came out wrong," Edward said as he ran his hand through his hair again.

Bella just laughed and held her arms open in invitation. Edward just smiled and walked in to hug her. When he hugged her, it just felt like they fit. She was wearing flats, so the top of her head fell about an inch or two beneath his chin. Edward took a deep breath and couldn't believe how good she smelled.

 _Green apples,_ he thought.

Reluctantly they stepped away from each other, and Edward took a look at the bags on the table.

"Shake Shack?" He said, pleasantly surprised. "This is awesome!"

Bella shrugged and bent down to open the bags. "I got my favorites and what I usually eat there. I got two burgers and two hotdogs because I don't always stick to one. And I had to get fries."

"You can't eat a burger without fries," Edward agreed. Sitting down on the pillow that he'd placed next to the coffee table, he said, "I thought maybe we could just have a picnic in the living room rather than sitting at the table. It's more like a desk anyway, and that's just kind of awkward."

Smiling, Bella said, "I like that. It's more comfortable. I hope you don't mind, but in my Googling, I found your favorite drink. Is it really Cherry Coke?"

"Yes!" Edward said. "It's the nectar of the Gods."

"Oh my god," Bella said laughing. "Well, hopefully we won't have a problem because I'm a Dr. Pepper girl myself."

"Well, we can always stock the house with both," Edward said without thinking. When he realized what he said, he started to stutter. "What I meant was…Uh, I mean…When said…."

Bella laughed lightly and put her hand on his forearm. Squeezing gently, she said, "I get it. And yes, we can."

Just like that, Edward's ears light up with blush again. Running his hands through his hair, he feltlike his face was about to split in two from the smile stretching across his cheeks.

The moment Edward heard the tinkling of the hotel door unlock was the moment he realized that he forgot the most important thing that day. He forgot to tell Embry to take the night off. Before he could do anything to stop it, Embry burst into the room like Kramer from Seinfeld.

For a few seconds, all three stared at each other in silence.

"Holy shit! You have a girl in here!"


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N: Thank you all for your patience! Thank you to everyone who has shared their honest thoughts and kind words. I appreciate each and every one of you, and I also want to thank all of the different groups and sites that have recommended this story. I'm humbled and flattered. Thank you.**_

#####

#Belward – Chapter 11

 _Where we left off last chapter…_

The moment Edward heard the tinkling of the hotel door unlock was the moment he realized that he forgot the most important thing that day. He forgot to tell Embry to take the night off. Before he could do anything to stop it, Embry burst into the room like Kramer from Seinfeld.

For a few seconds, all three stared at each other in silence.

"Holy shit! You have a girl in here!"

#####

Edward was stunned. He had a million thoughts going on in his mind. There were so many things he knew he had to say, but none of the words would make their way past his lips. Because he wasn't fast enough, Embry got the jump on him.

"Hi, I'm Embry Call, and I'm Edward's babysitter," Embry said stepping up to Bella with a big, devious smile on his face.

Before Edward could say anything, Bella burst into laughter and doubled over. Clutching her stomach, she stood up and tried to catch her breath. "I'm so sorry. But you sounded so much like Olaf from _Frozen_ when you said that. 'Hello, I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs.' I'm sorry. I don't mean to be rude."

That was not the response that Embry expected from the girl in Edward's room. He expected yelling. He expected curses screamed at Edward for thinking that he'd set her up somehow. But he had not expected her to laugh at him. "I'm not offended. You seem like a cool chick. What's your name?"

Bella finally stopped laughing and extended her hand. "I'm Bella Swan. It's nice to meet you."

"Bella. Is that short for something? What do you do?" Embry asked walking a little closer.

At that point, Edward finally came to his sense and immediately realized what Embry was trying to do. Stepping closer to Bella, he said, "Embry, stop. You don't need to run a background check on her."

"Edward, will you let me do my actual job here? I'm just trying to protect you," Embry said. "It won't hurt her or anything. I'll just ask Jasper to make sure that she's cool."

"I already know she's cool-"

"Jasper? Jasper Whitlock?" Bella asked. She didn't mean to interrupt Edward, but she could feel him getting more and more tense next to her. She was sure that he thought that a background check would infuriate and offend her, but it actually didn't.

Both men looked at her and Edward asked, "Yeah, Jasper Whitlock. He's Alice's husband. Do you know him?"

Bella nodded. "Yeah, Jasper does all of the security on all of my properties. He's the best. He has actually done a background check on me from when I came on as a client. He can give you whatever information you need. If you need my authorization, you can tell him I said it was okay. Or he can just call me for verification. It's not a problem. It doesn't bother me, Edward. I get it."

"You're a client of Jasper's? Well, that makes it easy," Embry said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Now, I'm sure I can tell you all about Edward and his dirty little secrets. No one spends as much time with him as I do. I can tell you that he snores when he's drunk. He's a whiny little bitch when he hasn't had his coffee in the morning, and I'm going to take a wild guess that you're the reason why he's been so happy these past few weeks."

When Embry looked at Edward, he could see that Edward was glaring at him. He knew when he wasn't wanted, and he intended to leave quickly. He just wanted to spend a few more minutes antagonizing Edward. It was just too much fun. "Edward, don't look at me like that. Let's be completely real for a second. You get paid to pretend to knock guys like me on my ass. While I, on the other hand, am professionally trained to beat up light weights like you. I don't want to embarrass you in front of your girl, so let's just save the evil eyes for another time. Okie dokie artichokie?"

Edward just growled, and Bella laughed. She liked Embry. He was cute, and he reminded her of those puppies that just wanted to play, except that their definition of playing was to nip at your ankles.

"All righty then," Embry said in his best Ace Ventura voice. "Bella, it was a pleasure to meet you. I'm sure I'll be seeing you around. Edward, I will see you at 10 a.m. tomorrow. Have a good night, kiddos. And remember, Edward. No glove, no love."

"Out!" Edward yelled as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Embry just laughed and wandered back out the door. When the door clicked back into place, Edward was relieved to see Bella's eyes twinkling with laughter. "I'm so sorry about him."

Bella could tell that Edward's blood pressure had probably been skyrocketing through that whole exchange with Embry. Acting purely on instinct, Bella wrapped her arms around Edward's waist and pulled into a hug. She was so glad she'd chosen to wear flats. At that height, her forehead could nuzzle into the cleft of his chest at the base of his sternum. "It's totally fine, Edward. Don't even worry about it. Besides, now we can tell our grandkids that Kramer burst into our first date."

"Shit," Edward laughed. Squeezing Bella tightly, he leaned down and placed a light kiss on her forehead just as her stomach growled. Laughing lightly, he said, "Okay, we better feed you."

Bella and Edward sat down to eat around the coffee table for a living room picnic. He loved that she didn't think she needed to pick up from Eleven Madison or Le Bernardin. He'd eaten at the finest restaurants in the world, but he was still a down home, comfort food kind of a guy.

As they ate, they talked and got to know each other better. Bella took a sip of her Dr. Pepper, and looked up at Edward. "What's the hardest part about being you? Being THE Edward Cullen?"

Edward swallowed the fries in his mouth and took a second to think about his answer. Sighing, he said, "the know-it-alls. I started my career off slow and steady. I got bit parts in tv shows. I played a cadaver once on an episode of CSI. That was pretty cool. Eventually, I made my way into television movies, and then Hollywood films. It was after the third movie that my life kind of blew up. All of a sudden, people thought I was hot shit. I got offered modeling contracts, endorsement deals, A-list movies, and A-list paychecks. But as much as they wanted me professionally, they also wanted me personally. All of these reporters started to make assumptions about me and my life. They thought that because they studied movie stars for a living that I was some kind of textbook case, and they could predict everything about me. I hate that."

"Is that why you didn't date for so long?" Bella asked. "I can understand wanting to keep your private life private. It's yours, and it should stay yours."

"I don't think I avoided dating because of the know-it-alls. It definitely wasn't a motivating factor to get out there and start dating someone, but I just wasn't interested in the whole thing. I was never a serial dater. I was more of a serial monogamist. I had two girlfriends in high school, and both were long-term. When I think about dating, I think about long-term. Any relationship I'm in, it's for the long haul, and I wasn't about to commit to someone when I knew I couldn't give 100% of myself to the relationship. I was too invested in my career and proving myself than looking for potential girlfriends," Edward said. Looking down, he stared at his half eaten hot dog and said quietly, "I don't know if that makes me sound like a selfish prick."

Bella nudged Edward's knee with hers, and said, "That's not selfish, Edward. My last boyfriend was in college. At the time, I was already writing professionally, and I was in school as a back-up. I had just started to dabble in real estate because I needed a tax shelter. I just didn't have enough expenses to balance out my income, and I hated seeing all of my hard earned money being sent away to Uncle Sam. So my CPA suggested investing in properties. I enjoyed it, and I was getting pretty good at it. But Riley just thought I was spreading myself too thin. He just wanted a normal girlfriend. He wanted someone that would eventually become a Stepford wife, and I wasn't turning out to be that person. It started to become glaringly obvious that we weren't what the other wanted, so we shook hands and parted ways."

"His loss is my gain. He sounds like a tool," Edward said. Looking up at Bella, he said, "So, what's the hardest part about being you?"

Bella smiled and played with the napkin in her hands. "The hardest part about being me is being both M. Dwyer and Isabella Swan at the same time. There are times when I feel like I've overextended myself, but every time I ask myself what I could give up, I can't think of anything. I'm not willing to give up anything that I do because I love it all so much. I have an amazing team now that runs the real estate arm, and I have an equally amazing team that basically handles all of the Foundation's work. It frees me up to write at the frequency that my imagination demands. But there's still a lot of business stuff that I have to do. I have to go on book tours. I have to go to groundbreaking ceremonies and scholarship award banquets. Granted, I could send Angela and Ben most of the time, but at what point do I just become the bank and lose touch with the reason why I chose to do all this to begin with?"

Sighing, Bella looked up at Edward and saw the compassion and empathy in his eyes. She knew he got it. He had to be Edward Cullen and THE Edward Cullen just like she had to be both Isabella Swan and M. Dwyer. Smiling softly, she said, "So, this thing with us…Edward, I can't and I won't ask you to sacrifice your career for me. I would think less of you if you did."

"And I won't ask you to be less of who you are for me. But I'm in this, Bella. I'm in this all the way. I can't imagine giving up and walking away from you. Maybe I've finally gotten to the point where I can be more than just an actor. I think I figured out how to do the actor thing well enough," Edward said with a cocky smirk.

Bella laughed and nodded her head. "Yeah, Hollywood. I think you have the actor thing down. Edward, I'm in this too, and I'm in it for the long haul if you are. But I know it isn't going to be easy. Between your schedule and mine, we might not get to actually see each other very often."

"Yeah, I know," Edward said softly. Running his hand through his hair, he knew that they wouldn't be able to find any answers right away. "But we can try our best, and we can promise to be honest with each other. Bella, I want you to know that you can tell me anything. If this gets to be too much or too difficult, I want you to tell me. I want to know if you're unhappy. I don't want you to feel like you can't tell me things because you think you have to be strong or you have to protect me from something. Please, don't be a noble idiot and fight for us alone. If we're in this, we're in this together."

"The same goes for you too, Edward. 'Just because I'm the girl doesn't mean that I'm able to handle less than you. I don't need to be protected or sheltered. I can handle just as much as you can, and I'm of equally sound mind. I know what I'm getting into with you, and I'm aware of everything that can and might happen. I create drama in my mind every day, and I've walked through every relationship scenario with my characters. I'm not naïve, and I think I'm adult enough to handle whatever comes next," Bella said. Leaning back on the couch behind her, she said quietly, "So what does happen next?"

"I'm going to give Kate and Garrett a heads up that I'm seeing someone, but I don't intend to send out a formal press release. That's just asking for attention, and I don't want that. I just want them to be prepared ahead of time that at some point, I will take you on a real date. But I'm not sure I'm ready to share you with the world just yet," Edward said. Quickly, he turned to Bella and put his hands on her cheeks. "But please don't misunderstand and think that I'm embarrassed of you. I'm not. You're so much more than I could have ever hoped for. I'm just a selfish motherfucker, and I want to keep you to myself for a little while longer before those bloodsucking vultures descend."

Bella smiled for a second before she realized what she needed to do on her end. Closing her eyes, she mumbled, "Oh my god. I have to tell Jake."

Quirking an eyebrow, Edward asked, "Who is Jake?"

"My agent. He's also happens to be my step cousin, but he thinks he's my brother," Bella said. When she saw the look of utter confusion on Edward's face, she explained. "I told you about how my parents divorced when I was little, and my dad married Sue when I was six. I basically grew up with Sue's kids, Leah and Seth. We're as close as real siblings, and I don't really think of them as steps. But their cousin, Jake, thinks that he's part of the family too. He was around pretty frequently too, but there's no actual blood relation between us."

"And why don't you want to tell him about us?" Edward asked.

"Because he is a gigantic pain in my ass! What Embry is to you is what Jake is to me," Bella said. Leaning forward, she grabbed her Dr. Pepper. "I should have gotten chocolate shakes. I was just worried they'd melt."

Standing up, Edward went to the hotel phone and dialed room service. "Hi, this is Rob Pattinson in Suite 1717. Can I get two chocolate shakes with whipped cream and a cherry on top sent up, please? Thank you."

When Edward hung up the phone, he saw Bella snickering. "Your alias is Rob Pattinson?"

Feeling his cheeks burn with blush a little, Edward said, "Yeah. Emmett wanted me to be Clark Kent, but I told him that was so over used. Don't you have to use an alias when you check in to hotels?"

Bella shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't really have to check into hotels all that much. Most of the places I go to I have a home there."

"Bella," Edward said. He was intrigued, and he didn't want her to get the wrong idea. "I'm just curious. But exactly how many homes do you have?"

"Uh, like actual homes that I live in, right? Not owned properties," Bella asked. When Edward nodded, she said, "I have a condo here in The City, a condo in Chicago, a house in LA, a lake house in Seattle, a cabin in Victoria, a loft in Nashville, a flat in London, and an apartment in Venice. I'm still working on finding just the right place in Tokyo and Shanghai."

"And those are the ones you stay in. You have additional properties that you own but don't live in?" Edward asked. He was intrigued. Utterly intrigued.

"Yes. There are some that we flip and resell, and there are others that we use as purely commercial real estate. Most of the condos and apartments I stay in, I also own the entire building. The Foundation also owns all of the Learning Center complexes, and I've donated to several schools to build new libraries and wings for students," Bella said quietly. She was always worried that when she told people these things that it would make her sound like some rich, entitled bitch.

"Wow," Edward said softly. Leaning back, he looked at Bella with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I scored myself a Sugar Mama. Way to go me!"


	12. Chapter 12

#Belward – Chapter 12

The next morning, Edward woke up to the incessant chiming of his cell phone. Groaning, he looked at the clock on the side table and cursed when it read 6:17 a.m. Grabbing his phone, he saw that there were three texts from Jasper.

 _6:14 a.m.: Warning. Incoming._

 _6:15 a.m.: Attack is imminent. She got the slip on me when I was in the shower. Sorry, Edward._

 _6:16 a.m.: As soon as I get dressed, I'll come by to rescue you._

Edward groaned and pulled a pillow over his face. He must have fallen back asleep because the next thing he knew, he felt the bed bouncing. Throwing the pillow off his face, he looked up to find Alice jumping on the bed.

Rolling off the bed, Edward stood blinking at his sister. "How the hell did you get in here?"

"A magician never reveals her secrets, Bub," Alice said in a voice that was way too awake for the hour of the day. Looking at Edward, she shook her head. "I thought I threw those pants away. Did you steal them back out of the trash pile when I wasn't looking?"

Edward closed his eyes and sighed. "It's way too early for this."

Grumbling under his breath, Edward walked into the living area of the suite and turned on the Keurig. Every morning he praised the coffee gods for making such a simple machine. All he had to do was flip a switch, drop the little cup in the holder and close the lid. Then Tada! Coffee time. It really was the little things in life that brought him the most joy.

Turning back to his sister, Edward said in his gruff morning voice, "I know why you're here. I need to shower and have my coffee before I have this conversation with you. Don't steal my coffee."

When Edward came out of the shower, he was pleasantly surprised to find that Alice had called room service. Alice was already halfway through her egg white omelet, and she motioned to the steaming pot of coffee on the table. "Got you more fuel."

Edward sat down across from her and took his first sip of coffee. "Go on. I know it's killing you to hold it in. So let's hear it."

Alice turned her body to face Edward squarely, and leaned forward with her forearms on the table. In an eerily calm voice, she said, "Edward, I had a wonderful dinner last night. Imagine my surprise when Embry shows up halfway through appetizers to tell us that he didn't have to stay with you because you were on _A DATE_. I almost choked on my crab cake!"

The mental image of Alice coughing up bits of crab cake was pretty entertaining, but Edward managed to stifle his laughter. Why provoke the beast unnecessarily?

"As surprising as it was that you were on a date, it was even more shocking to find out who you were on a date with!" Alice said getting more and more animated as she went on. Her hands were starting to punctuate her sentences, and she was getting a little excited. "You know how much I love Bella! You were there and saw how much we bonded. I get that she wouldn't run and tell me that she was going on a date with my brother because that might be awkward for her. I understand that. But YOU! You are my own brother, and you didn't say a single thing to me. We're not just siblings. We're best friends, and you didn't tell me. I had to hear about it from Embry. What the hell, Bub?"

Edward listened to his sister and continued to drink his coffee. Occasionally he took bites of his frittata, but he kept listening. He understood where Alice was coming from, and he did feel bad that he had hurt her feelings.

"Why aren't you saying anything?!" Alice said standing up.

"I was letting you finish," Edward said calmly. Alice had been like this since they were kids. She'd work herself into a frenzy, and then she'd slowly wind back down, often with Edward's help. Emmett would just rile her up more because he thought it was funny. Edward would get worried about her getting that excited.

When Alice took a deep breath and sat back down, Edward said, "Alice, I never meant to hurt your feelings or make you feel left out. I just wanted to keep this to myself for a little bit. I didn't know what I was doing, and there's still a big part of me that doesn't know what I'm doing. I'm just going by instinct and taking it a day at a time. I like Bella, and I don't want to mess this up. But I have to do this my way. If she's going to like me for me, I have to do this on my own."

Sighing, Alice brought her knees up to her chest and leaned back in the chair. "So you're telling me to butt out."

"Yes," Edward said with finality. "I'm not saying that I don't value your advice. I just don't need it this time. I want her to like me even if I'm clumsy, geeky, and slightly socially inept. I want her to like the real me, Alice. Not the Edward Cullen that people see on television. If she can like me even after she sees me flub up…"

"Oh Bub," Alice said softly. There it was. Underneath it all, her brother was still the shy, insecure boy that got teased in middle school because he had strange hair, glasses, braces, acne, and arms and legs that were too long. "Bella's one of the good ones. I trust her."

Before Edward could say anything, there was a knock on the door. Standing up, Edward checked the peephole and chuckled to himself. Opening the door, Jasper walked in with his eyes trained on his wife.

"Lucy, you got some 'splainin to do."

#####

 _Meanwhile across town…_

 _What is that noise?_ Bella thought. Rolling over, she looked at the clock. It was barely 6:30 a.m. Who could possibly be knocking on her door this early?

Standing up, she trudged to the front door and looked at the security screen. There she saw Rosalie looking like a cover model. Opening the door, Bella leaned against the wall and gestured for Rosalie to come in. Closing the door behind Rosalie, Bella said, "I swear to god you're not human. There's no way you can look that good this early in the morning. It's just not normal."

Rosalie turned and looked at Bella. She had crazy bed hair and pillow wrinkles on her cheeks. She was wearing an oversized Tinkerbell sleep shirt and fuzzy blue socks. Taking out her phone quickly, Rosalie took a picture and sent it to Edward.

"Come on," Rosalie said. "Get dressed. We're going out."

"What?" Bella asked. Rubbing her eyes, she blinked a couple of times to clear her head. "Where are we going? Did we have plans today that I forgot about?"

"No," Rosalie said. "But I'm here to collect you. We're meeting up with Angela, Vanessa, and Alice for an early lunch at Red Rooster at 11."

Bella looked at the clock on her microwave. Yup, it was still 6:35 a.m. "Rosalie, that's four and a half hours from now. It doesn't take that long for me to shower, get dressed, and get to Harlem."

"It does when we're meeting Alice at the spa in 45 minutes. Come on, I built in time to stop at Starbucks, so you can get some caffeine," Rosalie said with a shooing motion of her hands.

By this point, Bella knew it was pointless to argue. She shuffled back to her bedroom to shower and get ready. Half an hour later, they were out the door and waiting in line at the Starbucks on the corner of Bella's block. While they waited for their turn to order, at least three people came up to Rosalie to ask her to take a selfie with them.

When they ordered, the barista asked Rosalie to sign her receipt, and one guy even asked Rosalie to kiss his coffee cup. Bella couldn't believe how much people loved celebrities, and she had to wonder what it would be like when she went out with Edward. Right now, no one cared that she was standing next to Rosalie. But when it was Edward, would they still leave her alone?

When they got their coffee, Bella looked at Rosalie's venti white chocolate mocha and shook her head. "I can't believe that's your drink."

Rosalie took a nice long sip and hummed in approval. "I work out for the sole purpose of being able to eat and drink whatever I want."

"Me too," Bella said as they walked out of the coffee shop and to the spa. It was several blocks away, but it was a nice morning and they had the time for a walk. "I spend so much time sitting to write that I have to exercise at least once a day. If I had to live off of lettuce because I sit all day, I would be so grouchy."

"I know, right?" Rosalie said. "When I first started in this business, my first agency told me that if I couldn't fit into a size 2 or smaller, they would put me on a diet and send me to a clinic to get back into shape. If I failed to maintain a certain size, I could be held liable for a breach of contract. I told them to go fuck themselves and found a new agency that believed in my talent and not my looks."

"They can do that?" Bella asked. She knew that it was difficult being in the movie industry, but she'd never really known anyone that lived it on a daily basis. Just then her phone chimed with a text from Edward.

 **"You look cute first thing in the morning. Wish I could've been there to see it myself."**

Bella's eyes snapped up to Rosalie's. "Rosalie, did you take a picture of me this morning and send it to Edward? Why would you do that?"

Rosalie shrugged. "I thought he might want to know what his girlfriend looked like in the morning. I like teasing him. It's so easy."

Bella choked on her coffee. "How did you know? Are you upset that I didn't tell you?"

"Embry is married to Maria, who happens to be Jasper's sister. The four of them had dinner last night, and Embry being the gossipy little bitch that he is let the cat out of the bag. As soon as Alice got home from dinner, she called me," Rosalie said. Turning to her friend, winked and said, "Of course I'm not mad, Bella. I know you guys just met, and this is new to both of you. I didn't expect you to come right out the gate telling us that you were dating our brother. That actually might've been a little awkward."

Quickly, Bella put two and two together. "Is that what today is all about? Getting all the dirt on me and Edward? Does Alice think that taking me to the spa is how to butter me up and loosen my lips? If it is, then she's got another thing coming."

"Why?" Rosalie asked. "Aren't spa days the universal chick bribery?"

"Not this chick," Bella said shaking her head. "I hate spas."

With that, Rosalie just laughed. "Girl, I think I love you. Let's be each other's side salad for when the man meat piss us off."

#####

Edward used to think that he was a smart man, but he was really starting to question that belief. He didn't know what possessed him to ask Embry to drop him off at Bella's house for dinner. Embry had been going off nonstop since they left the studio about Edward breaking his dry spell, and it was driving Edward insane. Picking up his phone, he called Jasper.

Before Jasper could even say hello, Edward said, "I want a new bodyguard."

"No," Jasper said without even asking why.

"Why not? I'm the client, and I pay for the services rendered by your guards. I am not satisfied with the service I am receiving, and I would like to request that a new guard be assigned to me," Edward said as calmly as he could. Embry was still talking in his other ear, completely ignoring the fact that Edward was on the phone.

"Because you and I both know that there's nothing wrong with the service that Embry is providing. He's the best at what he does, and there's no one who knows you, your habits, and your crazy ass fan girls like Embry. You can't fire him just because he can be a little obnoxious," Jasper said. Embry might be his brother in law, but even Jasper didn't want to be chained to the guy all day every day.

"He's more than a little obnoxious, Jasper, " Edward said. Looking out the window, he was glad that they were getting close to where Bella said she lived.

"Yeah, well, truth be told, you're a little more than temperamental, Edward," Jasper said. "Not a lot of my guards want to work with a moody Hollywood actor."

"Fine!" Edward said like a petulant child. He hung up the phone without saying goodbye, and turned to find Embry laughing.

"Told you that you couldn't fire me," Embry said as he pulled up in front of Bella's building. "Now, what time would you like to be picked up, dear?"

"Fuck you. I'll get my own cab back to the hotel," Edward said.

"You have a meeting at 11 a.m., so just meet me downstairs," Embry said. As Edward started to get out of the car, Embry leaned over and said, "And remember, a gentleman ensures that his lady's pleasure comes first!"

Edward just glared at Embry and slammed the door in his laughing face. When he got into the building, he checked in with a nice doorman named Henry, who escorted him to the elevator and keyed in a special code to allow him up to the penthouse. As Edward rode the elevator up to the top floor, he could tell that Jasper's company had designed the security. It made him feel better knowing that Bella was safe in all of the cities she went to alone.

When he got to the door, Edward pushed the doorbell and noticed the small black dome above the door. She even had cameras outside her condo. When he heard the chime of the door alarm going off, he watched as the door swung open. The sight before him took his breath away.

He was a lucky bastard. He would never understand how a girl like that would be interested in a guy like him. The only time he'd ever seen Bella dress up was at the MTV Movie Awards. He was glad that she didn't feel like she had to impress him. He wanted her to be herself with him, and there she was in her black yoga pants and off the shoulder sweater. Her hair was in a ponytail, and she barely had any make-up on.

Edward walked into Bella's apartment and watched as she closed the door and rearmed the system.

When Bella turned around, she couldn't identify the look on Edward's face. She just knew that no one had ever looked at her with that kind of intensity before. Feeling herself blush, she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because you're beautiful," Edward said softly. Stepping closer to her, he put his hand up to her face and gently ran his thumb over her cheek bone. "I can't believe I'm here with you. I must've done something right."

"If you did, then so did I, "Bella said quietly. "I don't have people over to my place all the time. But I like that you're here. I feel right with you here."

Edward smiled and started to lean closer to Bella. She only had socks on her feet, so she stood nearly a foot shorter than him. Edward slowly slid the hand that had been touching her cheek to the back of her neck. "Bella, can I…"

"Please, Edward. Please," Bella said softly. Lifting her hands, she put them on his chest and slowly slid them up and around his neck as Edward leaned closer to her. She loved the way his hand felt so big and strong behind her neck, and she wished she could inhale the scent of him forever.

Edward watched as Bella's eyelids fluttered closed, and when his lips finally met hers it just felt like everything clicked into place. This kiss wasn't one filled with lust and hormones. Instead, Edward felt like a blanket of security surrounded him. Three was an immense sense of finality that struck him, and he finally felt grounded. It was like he'd been running towards something for the past 12 years, and he'd finally found his landing place. It was right here with Bella.

When Edward's lips met hers, Bella felt as if a million butterflies took off in her stomach. Her heart tripped a couple of times, and she just felt like one of the heroines she wrote about in her books. She had finally experienced that dreamlike flutter that she always wrote about, and she knew with absolute certainty that she'd found her own personal happily ever after.

Pulling away slowly, Edward looked into Bella's eyes, and saw that they were bright and slightly dazed. "Wow."

Bella let out a breath and smiled. "Yeah, wow."

Edward kept his arms around Bella's waist and leaned down to rest his forehead on hers. "Bella, I have a confession to make."

Bella's arms were still around Edward's neck, and she slid her fingers into the soft hair at the base of Edward's skull. She let her fingers run through it and said, "Okay. Let's hear it."

"I've been engaging in some heavy reading these past few weeks, and I'm almost halfway through all of the books you've written," Edward said. He was feeling quite proud of himself for making it through 20 books in just three weeks, but he did admit that it was only because Bella was such a good writer that he could stand to read so much so quickly.

"Really?" Bella asked. Laughing lightly, she said, "Wow. I'm impressed and flattered. That's a lot of reading."

"I know. My Nook is filled with your books," Edward said. "So, I want to ask you. In your books, and in some of the RomComs I've been in, the characters fall in love at first sight. The common line is 'when you know, you know.' What do you think, Bella Swan? Can a person really just know?"


	13. Chapter 13

#Belward – Chapter 13

Bella took a deep breath and looked into Edward's gorgeous green eyes. "Yes, I believe that a person can just know, but I don't think that's enough. You need more than just knowing that someone is the right person for you. Both people can know with absolute certainty that they're supposed to spend their lives together, but that's not enough. They both need enough strength and determination to make it through all the difficult stuff that comes up in life. They both need to be mature and committed to fight for the relationship and fight for each other. You have to want to be together, not just know that you should."

Edward smiled and pressed his lips to Bella's one more time. When he pulled away, he said, "That's the smartest thing I've ever heard anyone say."

Bella just smiled. She felt so comfortable and safe with Edward that sometimes she forgot that they'd only met less than a month ago. She was pushed out of her thoughts when she heard the oven timer start to go off. Taking Edward's hand, she led him to the kitchen. Gesturing to the counter, she said, "Have a seat. I usually eat here at the counter instead of the formal dining room. I have one, but I never use it. It just feels too stuffy."

Edward took a seat and couldn't help it when his eyes landed on Bella's ass as she bent down to take the baking dish out of the oven. Groaning a little, he suddenly realized that maybe his 12 year dry spell was starting to make itself known to him. Quickly, he forced his eyes off of her and looked around the rest of the condo.

"Wow, you have an amazing view from up here. You can see the whole city," Edward said. Inhaling deeply, he felt his stomach growl. "That smells amazing. What is that?"

"My mom can't cook to save her life, and my dad only knows how to microwave. I learned to cook from Sue, and this is one of my favorites. Lasagna," Bella said. Removing the tin foil from the top of the pan, she watched the steam pour out of the top of the baking dish. "I also have garlic bread and Caesar salad. You can't have lasagna without those."

"Can I help you with something? I feel like I'm just being a mooch. You brought and paid for dinner last night, and you made dinner tonight," Edward said. "Please let me do something."

Bella handed Edward the bottle of wine and asked him to open it. When she noticed that he was just staring at the opener and the bottle, she laughed. "Edward, do you know how to open wine?"

"Uh, honestly, no," he said feeling his ears burn with his blush. "I'm more of a twist top beer kind of guy. I like wine, but I haven't ever had to open the bottle myself before."

Reaching her hands out, Bella said, "Let's switch. You can toss the salad, and I'll open the wine."

When the wine was open and they had food on their plates, Bella and Edward sat next to each other at the kitchen counter. "When you go to London, will you be going as Rob Pattinson again?"

Edward laughed and said, "Yeah. That's usually what we use when Embry make the hotel reservations."

Bella nodded and said, "Do you ever get tired of staying in hotels all the time?"

"Yeah. It gets a little tiring to stay in hotels all the time. Sometimes the fans find us, and they camp out in the lobby. Sometimes, I just miss the simple things like being able to trust the bedspread. I saw one of those documentaries about hotel cleanliness once, and now I get a little paranoid about bedspreads, water glasses, and curtains," Edward said. Taking a bite of his lasagna, he moaned a little. "This is amazing."

Bella was relieved. She was so worried that he wouldn't like it. "Well, if you want, you can stay at my flat. It's in Belsize Park. It's pretty central to a lot of things, and there are three bedrooms."

"Wow, Bella, that's really generous of you to offer, but I don't want to be any trouble," Edward said.

"It's no trouble. My housekeeper, Sadie, lives in the flat downstairs. I can just let her know that you're coming, and she can make sure to put out fresh linen and stock the refrigerator. She'll come in daily to do the dishes and whatever else needs to be done. You don't have to worry about it. Jasper can key in a code for you and Embry, so you don't have to worry about keys. It's actually really convenient that Embry works for him. Jasper won't have to do a background check on either of you to give you a code," Bella said as she took a sip of her wine.

"Do you have a housekeeper at all of your homes?" Edward asked. He looked down and noticed that he'd already finished his salad and was halfway through his lasagna. It was just that damn good, but he had to be a gentleman, not a Hoover vacuum.

Bella nodded. "I do. It actually started with Tanya, who helps me take care of this place. I met her at one of the Learning Centers. Her son, Caius, was enrolled in the program, and I met them when I came to visit one day. I found out that Tanya was a single mom, and she'd just been laid off from her job. I needed help maintaining this place, so I offered her the job. I told her that I needed someone to clean, run errands, and occasionally cook. In exchange, I pay her a generous salary and provide her with a safe place to live rent free. I asked her to put the money that she would have spent on rent into a college fund for Caius. All of my housekeepers and I have somewhat similar arrangements. Although, my house in LA is kind of big, so I have a husband and wife that take care of the house and yard. They live in the guesthouse."

"You have the biggest heart, Bella Swan," Edward said. Standing up, he took his plate and went around the counter. "I hope you don't mind, but this was so good that I need to have more."

"Please, eat as much as you want," Bella said. "I always think about where I would be or what my life would be like if I didn't get lucky enough to get published. I'm in a position to help people, so I should. I'm not blessed with what I have just to be selfish and spend my money on stupid things like cars I'll rarely drive and expensive handbags that will just clutter my closet. I'm one woman. I spoil myself and splurge on things but my rule with myself is that I can only spend as much as I give away."

"You inspire me to be a better man," Edward said.

The rest of the meal was filled with good, solid conversation. Edward and Bella couldn't believe how comfortable they were with each other. They could laugh, share embarrassing stories about themselves, and tell each other things that they normally didn't share with other people. But because it was the two of them, it just made sense.

After dinner, Bella asked Edward if he wanted to watch a movie to which Edward immediately agreed. He wanted to spend as much time with her as he could before he had to leave for London. Edward had thought that they'd watch a movie on the couch in the living room, but Bella had other ideas. Taking his hand, she walked him to the bedroom.

As much as her inner vixen wanted to get down and dirty with the fine piece of man in her house, Bella knew that she wasn't ready for that step yet in the relationship. But she did want to so him something.

Edward didn't know what to expect, so he just kept his mouth shut. At this point, he was feeling pretty relaxed from the wine, and he was down right drunk on Bella herself. So he was pretty much down for anything she was about to suggest. When he stood in her bedroom, he took a deep breath. He loved that it smelled like her. He wished he could bottle that and take it with him as an air freshener.

Bella let go of Edward's hand and walked over to the nightstand. Grabbing the remote, she pushed a couple of buttons.

There on the far wall across from Bella's bed was a big flat screen that came down from a panel in the ceiling. He watched the projector come down from somewhere else and illuminate the room with a soft, dim light. Turning towards Bella, he saw her bite her lip with a smile.

"What do you think of my theater?" Bella asked. She hoped she wasn't being too forward, but this was her favorite way to watch movies, and she had to be honest. She wanted the memory of that man in her bedroom in any way she could have him before they parted ways again.

"That is the most beautiful fucking thing, other than you, that I've ever seen," Edward said in awe. "This is like a movie geek's wet dream. I swear to god, Sweetheart. This night is going down in history. I had delicious food with the company of a gorgeous, intelligent, and witty woman, and I'm about to finish off the night, hopefully, in that fuckawesome looking bed with this beautiful piece of machinery."

Bella couldn't help but laugh at Edward's earnestness. Holding out her hand, she beckoned him to come closer. "One rule: no shoes in the bed. I'm a stickler for that."

"Of course," Edward said. Toeing off his shoes, he watched Bella pull the comforter back and crawl into the middle of the bed. Following right behind, he lay back on the mount of pillows against the head board. Rubbing his head back and forth in the pillow and his hands on the sheets next to him, Edward turned to look at Bella. "What are these sheets made of?"

"100% Egyptian Cotton. 1,200 thread count," Bella said with a smug look on her face.

"That's it. I'm not leaving. Call Embry and tell him to leave without me tomorrow. He can do the rest of the press tour by himself," Edward said. Reaching out, he hooked his arm around Bella's waist and pulled her down to lie next to him. He watched as Bella connected to her Netflix account. "What are we watching. Wait, wait, wait. Scroll back up."

Bella felt her cheeks blaze when she realized what he'd just caught. Scrolling quickly down further, she squealed when he flipped her on her back. "I was just doing some research."

Hovering over her, Edward kept a firm grip on Bella's wrist above her head. "Research on what, exactly?"

"Ummm…" Bella said before she started laughing. Edward's free hand had found the ticklish spot right underneath her rib cage. "Okay, okay! I was doing research on you."

Edward let his hand slide down to her hip. He pulled her closer, so she was flush against his body. "Why would you need to do research on me?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Bella found that it was getting quite difficult for her to think clearly when he was this close to her. She felt like she was getting contact drunk, and had to blink a couple of times. "I was watching your movies the same way you've been reading my books. I wanted to know you more."

Instead of answering her, Edward just leaned down and pressed his lips firmly to hers. It took every ounce of will power he had to pull himself back. Sitting up, he gently pulled Bella with him, so her back was pressed to his chest. As Bella got back to scrolling through the movies, Edward turned his head to nuzzle his nose into her hair. Tightening his arm around her waist, he said, "A guy could get used to this."

Bella turned her head and looked Edward in the eyes. "A girl could too."

#####

Edward woke up to the sound of an unfamiliar alarm. Shifting his body, he realized that the right side of his body was significantly warmer than the left. Opening his eyes, he remembered where he was. At some point during the movie both he and Bella had fallen asleep. He couldn't remember which of them had dozed off first, but eventually, they both curled up under the covers and passed out.

Now, as he looked down at the bird's nest of brown hair on his arm, he felt his heart warm. Last night had been one of the best night's he'd had in ages. Every moment with her seemed to get better and better.

Bella heard the alarm on her cell phone and groaned. Reaching out, she swiped her finger across the screen to shut it up before curling up closer to Edward. Burying her forehead in his side, she said, "G'morning. Did you sleep okay?"

Edward turned his body and wrapped his other arm around Bella to hug her close. "Best night of sleep in a long time."

"I know you have to get going to pack and get ready for your flight, but I don't want you to go," Bella said, trying to nuzzle even closer.

Sighing, Edward said softly, "I know, Sweetheart. I don't want to go either. But it's just a couple weeks, right? Then we'll both be in LA at the same time."

"You'll Facetime me, right?" Bella asked. Maybe it was because it was the morning after. Maybe it was just because she was Bella. But she was starting to feel a little insecure. Now that Edward was leaving and real life was starting to set in for both of them, it felt like the bubble was bursting.

Edward could hear the hesitancy in Bella's voice. Reaching down, he hooked a finger under her chin and lifted her face to his. "Of course. I'm going to call and text you so often that you'll be yelling at me to go back to work."

Sighing, Bella snuggled closer again. "Okay. You better get going. I don't want you to be late. The sooner you leave, the sooner we'll both be in LA. I'll call Jasper and Sadie. The flat will be all set for you by the time you land."

Squeezing Bella tightly, he said, "Hey, does the flat have a set-up like this too?"

"Kind of. It isn't as elaborate, but all my bedrooms are pretty much the same. It helps me keep some sort of consistency in my nomadic life," Bella said. "Why?"

"So much better than a hotel. If I had known what kind of perks came with a rich girlfriend, I would've got on that sooner."


	14. Chapter 14

#Belward – Chapter 14

The first few days after Edward left had been a little strange to say the least. In some ways, it felt like Bella's life had reverted back to the way it was before he entered it. She got a lot of good writing done, and she did her check-ins with her team. Paul kicked her ass at the gym, and she had dinner with her Dad and Sue. Things were just like they were before Edward Cullen.

Yet, there was still half of her life that was forever altered because of him. Whenever her phone chimed, her heart rate speed up. There was always that moment of sublime hope that it would be him, and thankfully, most of the time it was. He had a full schedule in London with press junkets, movie premiers, television show appearances, radio interviews, and photo shoots, so free time wasn't really something he had on this trip. But even if he only had a few seconds, he would text her to tell her he was thinking of her.

By the third day that he was gone, Bella felt terribly for him. It was already a little late in Chicago, so she knew it was really late in London when he FaceTimed her. She could tell that he was back at her flat and in bed, and his eyes were already half shut. But he insisted on talking to her. He kept repeating, "Five minutes. I just want five minutes with you." By the end of five minutes, his eyes were nothing but slivers of green, and he was slurring his words.

Bella's heart broke a little bit for him, and she blew him a kiss goodbye. Before she went to sleep that night, she text Sadie to ask her to make him a nice thermos of coffee and a big breakfast sandwich to take with him when he left the next morning for his schedule. Bella was thrilled that when she woke up the next morning, Edward had sent her a selfie of his bright smile with chipmunk cheeks filled with his breakfast.

They were now reaching the end of the week and Bella had just a few more meetings in Chicago before she could wrap up her business and head to Los Angeles. As she sat in her condo, she went over Angela's notes for her next meeting. They had recently purchased an old warehouse, so they could refurbish it into an Arts and Literacy Center for underprivileged youth. There were so many young, gifted people in Chicago that didn't have a place to go and learn to perfect their craft, so Bella was going to create one for them. The architect and the builders had done an amazing job at rehabbing the building to make sure it was up to code. Now it was time to bring in a designer to make it come alive.

As Bella looked at Angela's notes, she came across the designer's bio and had to read it twice. Grabbing her cell phone, Bella called Edward. _Please pick up. Please pick up._

Before the first ring was even over, Edward's warm, soothing voice came on the line, "Hi Sweetheart."

"Oh, I'm so glad I caught you," Bella said in a rush. "I know you're probably in between stuff, and I'm actually on my way out the door too. But I have a super duper hugely important question to ask you."

"Okay," Edward said slowly. In the last month, he felt like he'd gotten to know Bella fairly well. But this was the first time that he'd heard her this close to frantic.

"What's your mother's name?" Bella asked, as she threw her files into her bag.

"Esme Cullen. Why?" Edward asked. He sat in the town car and waved to all of the fans outside that were running to follow it as he pulled away from the hotel.

"Is she a designer and is she the owner of EAP Interiors?" Bella raced around the condo to try to find her laptop charger. She had millions because she was constantly losing them. When she finally found it in the kitchen, she threw it in her bag.

"Yes, why? Is everything okay?" Edward asked. He was starting to get a little nervous because he'd never heard Bella sound so unhinged before, and she was usually so sure and stable.

Bella chewed on her lip and surveyed the condo to make sure she had everything she'd need for the day. "I'm on my way out the door to have a meeting WITH YOUR MOTHER."

"Oh," Edward said. Truth be told, he was a little stumped. He didn't expect that to happen. "Huh. She's designing your Center in Chicago?"

"Yup. I told Angela I wanted the best, and that, apparently, is your mom," Bella said. Running her hand through her hair. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "What do I do? Do I introduce myself to her and just drop in a line casually that I'm dating her son? Or do I go about business as usual and completely omit the fact that I'm not just her client, but I also happen to be the woman who loves her son? I don't know what's worse. I don't want to blindside the poor woman, and I don't want to get you in trouble with your mom."

"Sweetheart," Edward said. When she kept rambling, he had to laugh. He knew she had no idea what she just said.

"I mean, I know you two are close and all, and I can't even believe that Alice and Rosalie haven't spilled the beans. Those two are just-"

"Bella," Edward said a little more forcefully.

"Huh? What should I do? I'm on the verge of an anxiety attack because I feel so unprepared and it has absolutely nothing to do with work," Bella said. Slumping against the side of the elevator, she said, "I can be perfect at work. I can't be perfect with real life. It messes me up, and I don't want to mess this up. I want to be perfect for you too."

"Oh, Sweetheart," Edward said quietly. His heart ached, and he wanted nothing more than to jump the first plane to Chicago. But he had only a day and a half more until he was done, and he knew that he had to honor his commitments to the fans and the industry partners who supported this movie. If they could get through this first separation, they could get through anything. Running his hand through his hair, Edward said softly, "Bella, do you know what you just said?"

"Yeah," Bella said pouting. "I'm not perfect."

Edward couldn't help but chuckle lightly. "No, not that part. Before that."

Bella walked through the lobby of her building and saw that her doorman Stanley already had a taxi waiting for her. Waving at him, she said, "I said a lot of things. My brain isn't function right now. It's kind of on this strange anxiety ridden high. I feel very unstable right now, and I'm not very comfortable with that."

Even though Edward didn't like that she was scared, anxious, and uncomfortable, he had never felt more strong and secure in his whole life. Smiling, he glanced over at Embry. Luckily Embry had his earphones in and was watching the newest episode of _Game of Thrones_ on his iPad. "Bella, I love you too."

Bella felt her breath hitch in her throat. _Too? Oh my god, did I say…Oh, I did._ "Oh shit."

That made Edward laugh whole heartedly. "Yes, ladies and gentleman. THE Edward Cullen tells the woman of his dreams that he loves her, and her response? Oh shit."

"Oh fuck," Bella said. "Damn it. I'm sorry! I'm just so off today. I didn't realize I said it. I mean, I meant it. I did. I would never say it if I didn't mean it. I just didn't realize that I said it. You know? I wanted to tell you in person, but I guess it just came out because I was flipping out about your mom. And oh my god, you still didn't tell me what you wanted me to do about that. But before I forget, I hope you're not mad about me saying that I loved you first. You're the guy, and I hope I didn't steal your thunder or anything. I-"

"Baby, breathe," Edward said. His cheeks hurt from smiling so hard, but he didn't care. Face cramps be damned. "First of all, Bella, I don't care who said it first. I'm just glad I can finally say it, and I'm even more ecstatic to know that you'll say it back. Or say it first. It doesn't matter. Secondly, I will call my mom as soon as we get off the phone, and I'll tell her. I will warn you ahead of time that she might be a little more excited than she normally would have been. But she will be professional. I can guarantee you that."

"Edward," Bella said. She finally felt like she could breathe again. The elephant sitting on her chest finally went to find peanuts elsewhere. "I'm not worried about your mom not being professional. I just want her to like me."

"You should be more worried about her suffocating you with hugs," Edward said with complete seriousness. "She'll love you because I love you."

Bella closed her eyes and committed those last three words to memory. She knew she'd be playing them in her head over and over until the day she died. "Okay. I'm sorry for freaking out on you this. I know I must have really thrown your day for a loop."

"Sweetheart, you can throw me any which way you want to," Edward said with a smile. He wanted to stay on the phone with her, but he knew they'd be arriving at the next venue in a few minutes, and he had to make sure to leave enough time to talk to his mom. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. I'm almost at my next stop, and I still have to call my mom."

"Okay," Bella said. "Thank you for calling her."

"Nothing to thank me for," Edward said softly. "I love you. I'll call you before I go to bed."

"Love you too," Bella said.

"And Bella," Edward said, "You are perfect. You're perfect for me. That's all that matters."

Quickly, Edward dialed his mom's number. Not even two rings in, his mom's comforting voice filled the line.

"Edward! What a nice surprise. How is London?"

"It's good, Mom. Busy, but good. The fans here are amazing, and everyone is really nice," Edward said. Sighing, he ran his hand through his hair. _Better to just rip the Band-Aid off_ , he thought. "Mom, I'm actually calling because I wanted to tell you that I met someone."

"Darling son, you need to get specific really quickly. I don't want to get excited for you to just tell me that you met a new director or producer."

"Her name is Bella Swan, and we've been talking for about a month," Edward said. Sure enough, he heard his mom's gasp.

"Bella Swan? You mean the Isabella Swan I'm about to go meet?"

"Yes," Edward said. Using his firm voice, he said, "Be nice, Mom. I love her."

"Edward Anthony, do not tell me to be nice. I'm always the picture of pleasant. When were you planning to tell me that you'd fallen in love?"

"I wasn't hiding this from you, Mom," Edward said, immediately feeling guilty. "We've talked a lot on the phone, but we only went on our first couple of dates last week when we were both in The City. They weren't even real dates because I can't go out without Perez Hilton making up stupid shit about me."

"Fuck Perez. Is Bella upset that you couldn't take her out on the town?"

"No," Edward said. "She could care less about that kind of stuff. She's not really into the whole celebrity thing, and she didn't know who I was when we first met. She never asks me anything about Hollywood. She just wants to know about me. She's one of the first people in a long time that actually gives a shit about me, the man."

"And you said you loved her?"

"I do, Mom," Edward said. Taking a quick glance, Edward noticed that Embry had actually fallen asleep. "She's it for me, Mom. She's the one I've been waiting for, even if I didn't know I was waiting."

"Then I'm even more excited for this meeting. Does she know that I'm your mom?"

"She does, and that's why I'm telling you over the phone like this instead of in person. Bella's really nervous, and she just wants you to like her," Edward said. "Please be nice."

"I am always nice, unless you give me a reason to not be nice."

"Love you, Mom," Edward said with a smile.

"Love you too son. Now I have to go, so I can meet the woman who finally stole your heart."

When Esme hung up the phone, Edward looked over at Embry. His head was tipped all the way back into the corner where the backseat met the car door. His eyes were slightly open but rolled back in his deep sleep, and his mouth was wide open. Edward grabbed his phone and switched it over to video. A picture was just not going to do this justice. Not when he had a trail of drool just starting to go down the side of his mouth and the loud snores were reverberating off the windows.

Giggling to himself, Edward saved the video for future insurance. _Best day ever_ , he thought.


	15. Chapter 15

#Belward – Chapter 15

When Bella got to the Foundation's office, she said good morning to her team and went to sit in her office. She was so thankful for the small, quaint space. She needed a few moments to gather herself before she came face to face with Esme Cullen. She knew that Edward would call her, and she tried to believe that it would all be as positive as he seemed to think it would be. But she couldn't help it. She was nervous.

By the time the soft knock sounded on the door, Bella was lightly perspiring a little bit. She felt flush with nerves, and she tried to calm herself down. She fanned herself quickly with her hands and walked over to the door. Opening the door, she saw Esme Cullen standing here with a smile on her face.

Extending her hand, Bella said in her most steady voice, "Good morning, Mrs. Cullen. I'm Bella Swan. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Esme smiled and shook Bella's hand in hers. _Poor girl probably doesn't know her hands are shaking_ , Esme thought. Holding Bella's hand in hers firmly for a few seconds longer than necessary, Esme said softly, "I'm so happy to meet you, Bella. Thank you for choosing me to design your new center."

Bella could tell by the way that Esme held her hand that Edward had talked to his mom. She was immensely thankful that Esme jumped right to business. Smiling brightly, stepped to the side and gestured for Esme to come into her office. "Thank you for choosing to come to Chicago to see the site. I know you're based in New York City, so this project will likely require you to travel."

When they sat at the small conference table in Bella's office, Esme said, "I don't mind the travel at all. I was born and raised in Chicago, and my family is actually still here. My mother is so glad that this project means that I'll be back home more often. I usually only get out here a couple of times a year."

"Oh, I'm glad," Bella said. Before she sat, Bella asked, "May I get you some coffee, tea, or water?"

Waving her hand, Esme said, "I'm fine. Thank you for offering. Now, tell me about your vision for the Center. I went to see the space yesterday with Ben, and I've seen the architectural renderings and drawings. But I want to know what you want, what you see."

"Through the Foundation, I met so many young people from Chicago who dream of going into the arts. Some want to be singers. Others want to be dancers or artists. There are even a handful that want to be writers. They apply for scholarships because they can't afford to go to college on their own. The more I talked to these kids, I began to see that there are so many more kids that just need a place to be creative and free. They want to be taught, but there's no one to teach them. Everything costs money that they don't have," Bella said.

"So, I bought the warehouse. I wanted to build a place where the kids could learn to be creative in their own outlets without having to worry about paying for lessons. The only thing I ask from is that they keep their grades up. For those that need help with school, we'll have an Academic Tutoring Facility where they can get help in whatever subject they need."

Esme watched Bella talk, and she saw the passion and dedication in the young woman's eyes. She'd heard a lot of pitches in the past, and she'd met more philanthropists than she'd ever cared to meet in her lifetime. But there were very few that matched Bella's fire. Anyone with eyes could tell that Bella was one of the few that actually gave a damn. This Center wasn't about a tax write-off for her. It was about the kids and doing something for them because no one else would.

"This sounds like an amazing place, Bella," Esme said smiling. "I understand that you have certain areas dedicated for certain activities. What do you want the kids to feel when they walk in?"

Esme and Bella continued to talk for another two hours about The Center. They looked over color palates, textile books, and lighting fixture catalogues. By the time they were done, Bella felt much more comfortable with Esme, and she was immensely more excited for the further development of the Center.

As Esme put her books back into her bag, she looked up at Bella and said softly, "Bella, now that we're done discussing the Center for now, I was wondering if maybe you'd want to join me for lunch? I'm not asking as Esme the designer. I'm asking as Esme, Edward's mom."

"Oh, um, sure," Bella said. Suddenly her hands felt clammy again, and she felt unsure of herself all over again.

Esme recognized the panic that immediately washed over Bella's face. Reaching across the table, she put her hands over Bella's and squeezed. "Bella, you have nothing to be nervous about. I just want to get to know you as a person a little bit more."

"Okay. I'm sorry. I just want to make a good impression," Bella said softly.

"Honey, you just spent the last two hours telling me about what you want to do for kids that you don't even know. You're spending millions of dollars investing in people you have no connection with for no other reason than it's a good thing to do. The impression you've made on me is pretty good," Esme said gently. Squeezing Bella's hands one more time, Esme stood up. "Now come on. There's a little Italian deli around the corner that I have to go to every time I'm back."

Bella grabbed her bag and told Ben and her team that she'd be gone the rest of the day. As she walked to the deli around the corner with Esme, they made small talk and Bella slowly regained her comfort level.

When they got to the deli, Bella was surprised that she'd never been there before in all her past visits to Chicago. It was small and unassuming, and there was a small counter set-up on the others side of the glass window for customers to eat their lunches. As soon as they walked in, Bella felt her stomach growl. It smelled like heaven in there.

Esme took a deep breath and sighed. "Oh, now I'm home. Bella, I don't know what kind of eater you are, but I'm starving now that I smell all this wonderful food. Will you share a salad with me? Their Chop is to die for, but I need to have a squid ink pasta too. If I eat too much now, I'm going to go into a food coma when I get back to my parent's home."

Of all the things Esme Cullen could have said to her, that was not something that Bella was expecting. It made her seem so…normal. Smiling, Bella said, "Of course. I'm an eater too. Edward doesn't think I noticed, but I saw that he was a little shocked to see that I could finish off a hamburger and a hot dog on our first date."

Esme laughed and walked Bella to the counter. "He was probably thrilled that you weren't one of those finicky eaters that just picks at a couple pieces of lettuce and calls it a meal. What would you like?"

"The Ravioli Funghi sounds delicious, but Esme, please, let me get lunch," Bella said.

"Oh, no, lunch is on me," Esme said. After placing their order, Esme sat at the empty counter and pat the stool next to her. "Now, tell me how you met my son."

Immediately, Bella felt her face flush. "I fell on him."

As Esme laughed, Bella continued. "I was at Alice's for a fitting, and I was coming out of the bathroom. I'm naturally a clumsy person, and I guess I must have tripped on air again. As soon as I opened the door and passed the threshold, I tripped and stumbled. Edward broke my fall."

"We didn't get to talk long this morning, but he mentioned that you didn't know who he was when you'd met," Esme said softly. She was watching Bella's eyes, and she knew that Bella was genuine and sincere. There was nothing about this girl that said conniving or duplicitous.

"I had no idea. I just thought he was Alice's next client, and I felt terrible. I thought maybe I'd done something to hurt her business, but then she told me he was her brother. It took me a second, but then I put it together. I didn't even realize that you were his mother until this morning. I recognized the last name in my file, but I had to call him to find out," Bella said, feeling a little stupid. "That's probably pretty silly sounding, huh? I mean, who doesn't know everything about THE Edward Cullen."

"That's not silly. We're not a very public family, and I would be more worried if you knew everything about us," Esme said honestly.

Bella shook her head and laughed lightly. "I did Google him, but only briefly. I know that not everything online is real. I'd seen a couple of his movies in the past, but I've been playing catch-up these last few weeks on Netflix."

"I'm honestly surprised that Alice and Rosalie didn't mention to me that Edward was seeing someone. Usually those two gossip like old ladies," Esme said. "More so because the two of you met when they were around."

"I am too, but I think Edward and I both made it clear to them that we want to do this on our own. My friendship with them is completely independent of my relationship with Edward, and we want what's between us to stay that way," Bella said. Quickly catching herself, she added, "But I really hope that you didn't feel like we were hiding anything from you. Please know that was never our intent."

Esme heard what Bella was saying, but what became clear to her was the Bella's use of the words "we" and "our". That made her heart warm. "Bella, I'm not upset that I didn't know that Edward was seeing anyone. He was always our most private child. Being the middle sibling, he was always a little quieter than the others, and when the others are Emmett and Alice it's not hard to end up the quiet one. He was more introverted, and he liked to do his own thing. That's why his choice to become an actor was a little surprising. It was all very out there for him, and I was honestly a little worried for a while that he wasn't going to adjust well."

"Are you still worried?" Bella asked. It made Bella happy to know that even though Edward was a 30 year old man, he was still his mother's son. It made part of Bella fell just a small tinge of envy. She hadn't been Renee's daughter ever. They'd always been more friends than mother and daughter. Even Sue was more a companion than a mom. Just hearing Esme talk about Edward, Bella knew that this is what moms were supposed to be like.

Esme shook her head. "No, Edward has always had a good head on his shoulders, and he's been the sturdy, stable one. He was so intent and focused when he moved out to LA that the partying, the drugs, and the fast lifestyle didn't even tempt him. That kind of lifestyle was so far off his radar because all he wanted was to be good at what he did. The only time I started to worry again was when I began to sense that he was getting lonely. I don't think he ever realized that lonely was what he was feeling, but there was an unrest about him."

Bella nodded her head and took a deep breath. "I understand what you're saying. I think I was going through the same thing before I met Edward. I wasn't looking for a relationship, and I honestly didn't have time for one. I had filled my life with so much other stuff. I work all the time. Every week I'm in a different city. I have friends, good friends, and I have my family. I never felt like anything was missing. But now that I have Edward, it just feels like there's this new dimension to my life. It feels fuller and just more complete."

One of the servers came to put their food down on the table, and Esme felt her stomach rumble again. "Oh, I missed this. Dig in. How are you doing with the separation and having to be in different cities?"

Bella took a bite of the salad. The dressing was delicious. "This is wonderful. This is only the first time that we've had to really be separated, but it's not too bad. We call and text as often as we can. It's been this weird in-between where my life is back to the way it was, but there's also Edward. It's hard to describe."

Esme and Bella continued to talk throughout lunch. They even sat and talked for an hour after they'd finished eating. When it was time to go, Esme stood and hugged Bella firmly.

"Oh, Bella. I'm so glad we had this time to get to know each other," Esme said as she continued to hold the young woman. "I'm happy my son has you, and I want you to know that you can call me anytime. You can call me for anything, not just The Center. You're part of my family now. Will I see you in New York when you get back to the City in a couple of weeks?"

Bella hugged Esme back and said, "Yes. I'll be in touch. Thank you again, Esme, for everything."

After they said their goodbyes, Bella headed back to her condo. Her day had gone entirely different than she thought it would when she woke up that morning, but she couldn't complain. Esme had been so sweet, and Bella couldn't help but like her.

Bella spent the next several hours in her writing room. When her phone started to ring, she looked at the clock. It was just after five in Chicago, which meant it was already after 11 in London.

"Hi," Bella said. Saving her work, Bella stood up and walked into the living room. She didn't want to get distracted during the short time that she had Edward on the phone. "Are you finally done with your schedule for the day?"

After what seemed like the longest day, Edward was curled in bed under the covers. "Yeah, the fan meeting in London ran late, and we just got in not too long ago. I just showered and hopped into bed. How was your day? How was my mom? Did she behave?"

"Your mom is amazing, Edward," Bella said softly as she curled up on her couch.

Even though he was tired, Edward could hear that something was slightly off in Bella's tone. "Why do you sound a little sad when you say that?"

"It's stupid," Bella said as she rubbed her forehead into the couch cushion. "Your mom is such a mom. She's a real mom who knows her kids better than they know themselves. She worries like a mom should worry. I'm so happy that you have her for a mom. You have a real mom. I just kind of wished that I did too."

"Sweetheart," Edward said softly. Running his hand through his hair, Edward cursed the distance between them for the second time that day. "I'm sorry that Renee wasn't the type of mom you wish you'd had, but now you have my mom too. I know she's probably more than thrilled to add another person to her family. Your meeting with her went well then?"

"It did. She could tell that I was nervous, so our meeting was strictly about the Center. She has some really great ideas, and I know she'll turn the building into a second home for these kids," Bella said with a smile. "She took me to lunch afterwards to this small little Italian deli, and we had the best food. We sat and talked for two hours over salad and pasta. It was a good day."

"She took you to the deli? I love that place," Edward said. "You spent a long time together. I'm glad you had a good day. I hope she didn't tell you too many of my secrets."

Bella laughed lightly. "No, she didn't. She just bought me lunch and talked to me. She told me about growing up in Chicago, meeting your dad, starting her own business. We talked about a lot of things. I feel much more comfortable around her now. She asked if she'd see me when I got back to New York, and I told her she would."

"She bought you lunch? I haven't even bought you a meal yet. Now I feel like a total douchebag," Edward said with a frown.

"Edward, it's not a big deal," Bella said, trying to reassure him.

"It is! You're my girl, and I haven't been able to take you on a proper date. I haven't even bought you anything yet," Edward said.

"It's not about buying me things. That's not why I'm in this with you," Bella said. "I can buy my own meals. I don't need you to buy me things, Edward."

"I know, but I just feel like I haven't contributed much to this relationship. I'm the man. I want to be able to spoil you and do normal boyfriend things," Edward said. The more he thought about all the things he hadn't done, the more upset with himself he became. "I haven't been a boyfriend since high school. Now I finally have a girlfriend without having to worry about curfews, allowance money, and borrowing my dad's car."

Bella knew it wasn't supposed to be funny, but she smiled. Edward was getting pretty worked up about this whole thing. It hadn't really bothered her, but it must be important to him if he was getting this upset over the whole thing. "So what do you want to do about it, then?"

Edward just sighed and rubbed the palm of his hand against his closed eyes. "I want to be able to buy you flowers and take you out on a proper date. I want to take you to dinner and a movie or a baseball game or for a walk down the Santa Monica pier. I want to be able to drive my own goddamn car to pick you up. I want to walk down the street with you and hold your hand without fucking Embry as my shadow. I want to make dinner with you and go grocery shopping with you. I want to do all the corny shit that I've had to act out in movies but as a real boyfriend with my real girlfriend."

"Okay," Bella said calmly. She knew the implications of all those things, and she knew that Edward did too. "When we're in LA, what do you want to do?"

He knew what she was asking. She was asking if he wanted to go public with their relationship. If they did any of those things that he'd just mentioned, people would see them. As soon as people saw them, fucking Perez Hilton and all those other gossip whores would be up his ass and in his face. Was he ready to unleash all of that on Bella?

"I just want to be with you," Edward said quietly.

"You have me, Edward," Bella knew what she was saying, and even if she wasn't completely sure of what might happen in a couple weeks, she was sure of herself and her heart. "You have me no matter what."


	16. Chapter 16

#Belward – Chapter 16

One of the things that Bella loved most about her home in LA was the fact that it was in fact a house. This was one of the few cities where she actually had a real house with a real yard. She had her own writing room in a corner of the house that had doors that swung out onto a big patio, and since it was a nice day outside, she had the doors open. She loved the feel of the warm breeze as it came through. The fresh air was so nice, and it helped clear her mind as she wrote.

Bella had gotten up early that morning and started writing as soon as she got up. She'd been dreaming about her characters, and she had the perfect progression in her head. Before the sun was even up, Bella had gotten a couple of chapters down on paper. She was actually quite happy that she'd been productive with her morning. Edward was flying in from London, and she wasn't quite sure what her plans would be once he landed.

After their discussion the other night, Edward hadn't quite come to a decision on what he wanted to do when they were both in the same city again. He was quiet when they'd talked yesterday, and she knew that it was because he was still thinking. Edward was a thinker, and he was contemplative by nature. Bella knew that he wasn't sure what the right next step would be, and she was worried that it would start to wear on him.

The last thing she wanted was for their relationship to be too stressful for him. What if it became so much of a burden that he decided it wasn't worth the effort? She'd said as much to him, and he just told her to stop worrying about that kind of stuff. He was in this for the long haul with her. He reassured her and told her that he didn't just know with her. He wanted her too. No matter what.

As Bella wrapped up another chapter, her phone started to ring. She didn't recognize the number but decided to answer anyway just in case.

"Hello?"

"Hi Bella. It's Embry."

Shocked, Bella sat up. "Hi. Is Edward okay?"

"He's fine. I'm sorry if I scared you," Embry said as he watched the airport bathroom like a hawk. "I got your number from Jasper. Edward doesn't know I'm calling you. We just landed, and he's in the bathroom. I was wondering if I could drop him off at your house."

"Of course you can. Embry, are you sure he's okay? What's going on?" Bella didn't like the double-agent action that Embry was pulling, and she wasn't quite sure what to make of the quick conversation.

"Nothing more than Edward being emo," Embry said quickly. "He misses you, and he's worried about whatever the hell has been going through his head the last couple of days. Seeing you will make him feel better."

"Do you need my address?" Bella asked before stopping herself. "Never mind. You probably got that from Jasper too, right? Did he give you the security code to my front gate?"

"No," Embry said as he saw Edward coming out of the bathroom. "He gave me my own. Gotta go. Bye!"

Bella looked down at her phone in disbelief. Dialing Jasper, she waited until he picked up the phone.

"Well hello there, Ms. Swan. Is everything all right?"

"Everything's fine, Jasper. Other than you giving out all of my personal information to people! I understand the background check, and I asked you to give Edward and Embry access to the flat in London. I can even understand giving my cell number to Embry. But you gave him his own security code to my front gate?" Bella wasn't really mad. She was just surprised at the way these boys were weaseling their way into her life. They were worse than Alice and Rosalie.

"I'm sorry if I overstepped," Jasper said. "If it makes you feel any better I also gave Edward his own code. It's the same one as his own house. I programmed you into his place too."

Bella just shook her head. "Jasper, did you know that you're more meddlesome than your wife?"

"I'm not meddlesome, Bella. I'm efficient. You would've asked me to do these things anyway, and it just worked out that both of you have me as your security contractor, "Jasper said. "Now I already have a list of candidates for your personal security that I think you and I need to discuss sometime soon. Maybe when you get back to New York we can sit down."

"Jasper, I don't need security. I've never needed one. I don't think I need to start now," Bella said.

"We'll see," Jasper said.

"We will," Bella said smiling. "Now I better go. I have to finish up a couple things before Embry gets here with Edward."

When they hung up the phone, Bella got back to her writing. She probably had about an hour before they got to her, and that was just enough time for her to run through and refine the chapters she'd just written.

#####

Edward spent the whole ride from the airport checking his e-mail. He hated Los Angeles traffic, and he knew that Garrett had sent him a couple of scripts and synopses to read on his return to LA. When he happened to glace up, Edward noticed that Embry had taken the Brentwood cutoff.

"Hey, where are we going?" Edward asked. Switching over to his calendar, he saw that he didn't have anything in his schedule for today. "Did something get added that I don't know about?"

"I'm taking you to the doctor," Embry said without missing a beat.

"What doctor? Why? I'm fine," Edward said.

"We're going to go remove that stick from your ass." Embry was pretty proud of himself. He was getting better at his quick wit.

"Fuck you," Edward said. He knew it wasn't the most clever response, but he didn't really care. He'd been on a plane for hours, and he just wanted to go home. "Seriously, where are we going?"

"Shut up and trust me," Embry said. The directions Jasper had given him were pretty clear, and he was vaguely familiar with the area. Finding Bella's house wasn't too hard. It was a pretty straight shot once you got off the freeway.

"I trust you when it comes to getting fangirls off my back, and when it comes to losing the paparazzi," Edward said. Looking around, he didn't recognize a thing about this neighborhood. "But trust is not really coming out of my pores right now. I'm starting to feel like I've been abducted."

"What do you think would be more effective? Posting an Amber Alert? Or asking TMZ to post a Missing Persons report on Twitter and Facebook?" Embry asked. "Hands down I bet TMZ would win for fastest human retrieval."

"Human retrieval? Yeah, I feel really safe now," Edward said. He watched as Embry turned off into a neighborhood that he really didn't recognize. "I have no idea where the fuck we are right now. One day I'm going to get smart and start using Uber. You know what? I'm going to download that app right now."

"Okay, one: I'm impressed that you know what Uber is," Embry said laughing. Edward wasn't the most technologically challenged person in the world, but he wasn't the most savvy either. He was just innocently naïve. "Two: I am even more proud of you for knowing how to install an app on your phone."

"Hey, I know stuff," Edward mumbled, as he tried to figure out how to maneuver his way through the different apps in the store. There were millions of them. It was kind of distracting. You could get anything through an app. "There's tons about me that you don't know."

"Really? Like how you think you look all hard drinking black coffee when in fact it's actually half sugar? You just don't add cream," Embry said. "Oh, or that weird thing about your socks and your underwear not touching."

"How the fuck…" Edward said turning to look at Embry. "Look, we stay in hotels all the time. Hotel carpet is one of the most disgusting things on the face of the earth. You walk on it with socks. Why would you want what's on the hotel carpet on your junk? That's just fucking gross."

"We just stayed at Bella's flat, and you still maintained separate pockets for the socks and the underwear. Sadie even did your laundry," Embry said. Shaking his head, he mumbled, "Maybe I should be taking you to a shrink instead."

"Seriously! Where the fuck are we going?!" Edward said looking around again as Embry began to slow down. He watched as Embry pulled up to a long gated driveway and rolled down the window to punch in a code. "Did you move? Are we at your place?"

"Hell no. You don't pay me enough to live here," Embry said as he pulled the car through the gate. He drove down the long drive way and took in the surroundings. Jasper had told him that the security at all of Bella's places was like Fort Knox, and he could tell that Bella had chosen a private location because of the long driveway and high fences and gates. He felt confident leaving Edward here. Knowing Edward, he wouldn't be leaving any time soon.

"Then whose house is this?" Edward asked as he looked at the nicely manicured lawn.

"Good grief Mr. Twenty Questions," Embry said. When he finally pulled in front of the front door, he pulled the parking brake and popped the trunk. Turning to Edward, he said, "Okay, get out. I'm leaving you here."

"Where the fuck is here? What do you mean you're leaving me?" Edward said. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the front door open, and there she was leaning against the doorframe smiling. His Bella. "I fucking love you, Man."

"Wait! Say that again. I wanna record it on my phone as proof!" Embry said as he reached into his back pocket for his phone, while Edward was getting out of the car.

Leaning down, Edward stuck his head back in the car before closing the door. "Sorry. Too slow. Memorize it, bitch."

Edward quickly ran to the back of the car to grab his bag. Once he slammed the trunk shut, he ran to the door where Bella was waiting. Dropping his bag, he wrapped his arms around Bella's waist and swung her up into the air. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, and finally felt peace. "God I missed you."

"I missed you too," Bella said as she wrapped her legs around Edward's waist. Turning her head, she nuzzled into his neck and just breathed him in. Even though he smelled like an airplane, there was still that Edward scent underneath that made her feel all warm and tingly. Closing her eyes, she tightened her arms around his shoulders. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Did you plan this with Embry?" Edward asked.

Bella shook her head even though it was still buried in the crook of Edward's neck. "He got my number Jasper and called me from the airport an hour ago telling me he was dropping you off here. Jasper had already given him my address and programed his code into my alarm system. You're also in here too. He said that he used the same code as the one at your house."

Regretfully, Edward pulled back and set Bella down. The feel of her body sliding down his ignited his sense and made him step back a little. He didn't want Bella to get the wrong idea, and he wanted to respect her even if his dry spell was becoming more and more evident by the day. "Are you okay that I'm here? I hope we didn't interrupt anything. I know you're working."

Bella shook her head. "I was just writing today. I don't have a meeting until tomorrow. Let's go inside. You must be tired and hungry. Do you want anything to eat? You can use my shower if you want. I know this isn't where you planned to be when you came home, so tell me what you want."

Edward followed Bella into the house and looked around. It was a big house, and it was very open and spacious, just like the other two he'd seen of hers. Stopping just inside the doorway, Edward tugged on Bella's hand, so she turned to face him. "I didn't plan to be here, but I'm glad that I am."

Smiling, Bella squeezed Edward's hand. "What would you like to do first?"

Edward thought for a moment and then decided to just act on instinct. He tugged her hand and brought her flush against him. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he bent down and kissed his girl. The best feeling in the world was when she melted into him and sighed against his lips. The best sound in the world was the soft moan that came when he pulled her bottom lip between his and sucked lightly.

One of the things that Bella prided herself on was that she was a quick learner, and she soon found that Edward liked to have his scalp lightly scratched. When she threaded her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck, she lightly scratched her fingers nails across the base of his skull. The low, husky groan he made caused certain parts of her to tingle.

When they both came up for air, their cheeks were flushed and they were breathing a little harder than normal. Resting his forehead on hers, Edward said, "I could get used to doing that."

"Mmmm, well, I hope we can do more of that this week while we're both here," Bella said softly.

Edward was feeling a little adventurous. He lifted his forehead from hers and began to trail light kisses down the side of Bella's face. When he heard the her intake of breath when he got to the soft, sensitive spot below her ear, he stayed there for a few extra seconds, just nibbling, before continuing down her neck. He loved the warm, sweet floral scent that was Bella, and it was particularly pleasant in the crook of her neck.

As Bella felt Edward's hands creep under the hem of her shirt to touch the bare skin of her back, she hummed again. Quietly, she whispered, "Edward, just so you know, I get the shot. For girl reasons."

At that statement, Edward's head popped up. He looked into Bella's shy eyes and smiled softly. "Good to know. Really good to know. For future purposes that is. And just so you know, I'm clean. I got tested after my last girlfriend in high school, and I honestly haven't been with anyone since."

"Me too. There was no one after my last boyfriend," Bella said. She knew that most girls wouldn't believe that THE Edward Cullen wouldn't have had a few conquests in his rise to fame, but she trusted him.

Edward smiled and shook his head as he shifted his gaze to the ground. "I'm kind of thrown off right now. I expected to go home and clean up before calling you to see if you wanted to hang out. I didn't expect Embry to just drop me off here. Not that I'm complaining or anything. I want to be here. I had kind of hoped to be a little more presentable and buy you some flowers before landing on your doorstep. Now I'm here, still covered in airport grunge, and without a car. I swear to God I must be in the running for biggest loser boyfriend."

Bella put her hands on Edward's shoulders and rubbed them reassuringly. "Edward, shut up. Let's take your stuff up to my room, and you can shower. Are you hungry? I can make you something while you eat."

"I'm actually not hungry. The airplane food wasn't that bad. It was some kind of fancy Club Sandwich, which is kind of hard to screw up," Edward said. Grabbing his bag, he followed Bella through the house. When they got to her bedroom, he was pleasantly surprised. "All of your bedrooms are all different, yet they all look just like you. It's weird."

"I know. The nomad life seems to work for me," Bella said. Walking to the closet, she pulled out a towel and handed it to Edward. "You can go ahead and use this. I'll be downstairs in my office. Take your time."

Before she walked out, Edward pulled her to him and gave her a quick peck on the lips. Whispering, he said, "Thank you."

When Edward walked into the bathroom, he was thrilled to see that Bella wasn't one of those girls that had counters full of beautification supplies. Her counters were clear and clean. There was very little clutter, and he loved that about her. As soon as he walked into Bella's shower, he discovered the waterfall shower head. Stepping under the hot water, Edward felt his muscles relax.

He knew that his shower was a little more leisurely than normal, but he couldn't help it. That was the most comfortable shower he'd been in, and he just felt so much better. Since he wasn't sure yet what his plans were going to be for later in the day, he threw on a clean tee shirt and a pair of cargo shorts. Wandering through the house, he heard the sound of Bella's voice and followed it.

Bella was on her cell phone on the patio sitting on the steps that lead down to the yard. Edward walked up quietly and sat directly behind her with his legs on the outside of hers. Without having to say anything, Bella leaned back into Edward's chest.

When Bella was finished with her call, she hung up the phone and placed it on the deck next to them. "You smell like me but your clothes smell like you. That's kind of sexy."

Edward brought his arms around Bella's waist and squeezed. Placing a kiss on her hair, he said, "It is. So I've been thinking about what we talked about the other day."

"I know. You've been quieter. I can tell that it's worrying you," Bella said softly as she ran her finger tips back and forth across Edward's forearm.

"I'm only worried because of what I know will happen. Bella, I wish I could protect you from the media shit storm that comes with dating me," Edward said softly. Unconsciously, his arms tightened around her a little more. "But I don't want to subject you to a substandard relationship either. I want to do the things that come naturally to us regardless of whether it's in public or not. I don't want either of us to have to live in the shadows just because people can't mind their own fucking business. I just hope you'll still want to be with me after the initial hoopla dies down."

Bella turned her body and stood up. Nudging Edward to shift back on the deck, Bella straddled Edward's lap so she could face him. With her hands on his shoulders, Bella said firmly, "Edward, you don't have to protect me against everything. You can't. If we're in this together, you have to let me fight my own battles. Even if it means standing my ground when people get mean, which they will. We both know that nasty rumors are going to fly, and most of them are going to be malicious. But I'm stronger than that. I've had professional critics rip me to shreds numerous times, and I've had readers say negative and demeaning things about me because they feel like they know me and my characters better than I do. My skin is pretty thick, and I'm strong enough to stand on my own and to stand with you."

"I know," Edward said softly. "I believe you are and I trust you not to be overly emotional and fly off the handle at the first murmuring of rumors. I know we're both going to have to talk to our management teams because this will affect them, and they're going to ask if we want to send out a formal press release announcing our relationship. But I don't want to do that. I feel like putting out a press release to ask for privacy is counterproductive. It's just asking for attention. I'd rather we just live our lives, and let people deal with their own conclusions."

"I agree with what you're saying," Bella said. "So are you feeling better about this decision?"

Edward sighed. "I am. But I'm probably also feeling better because I'm with you. I want to take you on a proper date tonight, but I guess we should call our agents first to warn them that TMZ is going to have a field day."

Bella grabbed her phone and swung off Edward's lap to take her original position in front of him. Taking a deep breath, she decided FaceTime would be like pulling off the Band-Aid.

After a couple of rings, Jake's face appeared on the screen. "Sissy Boo! You miss me so much you have to FaceTime me? Wait. Move the phone. To the left. No, your other left, Bella. Who the fuck is that? Is that…Why are you in Edward Cullen's lap?!"


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: For those who have asked - updates aren't on a formal schedule. It'll happen when RL allows which is hopefully 3x/week. As always, thank you to all who R &R. Special thanks to lvk1978 for catching what I miss and to cbmorefie for reading and following since Puzzle Pieces. I know I did something right when cbmorefie throws in an "excellent". :) All of you who take time to share your thoughts and kind words mean the world to me. Thank you.**

* * *

#Belward – Chapter 17

Bella laughed as she watched Jake trying to look round her through the screen of her iPhone. She could feel Edward shaking with silent laughter behind her, and she felt him bend down closer.

Resting his chin on Bella's shoulder, he said casually, "Hi Jake. I'm Edward, Bella's boyfriend. Nice to meet you."

"Her boyfriend?! Since when? Bella, does Charlie know about this guy? What the hell have you been up to since you were in New York? Where are you? Are you even in LA?"

"Well, Jake, I bought a private island, and Edward and I have runaway. In fact, we've already gotten married, and I'm pregnant with his vampire baby," Bella said as she felt Edward rest his forehead on his shoulder, still shaking with laughter.

"Bella! Be serious. What is going on? I can feel my blood pressure rising. You're going to give me a heart attack. I think my right arm is starting to tingle."

"Oh will you calm down. Don't get your granny panties in a twist," Bella said laughing. "Geez. If I knew that this is all it took to get you all worked up and near death, I would've called you sooner. This kind of entertainment is priceless."

"Bella," Jake growled. He raised his right hand and clenched and unclenched it so she could see it. "Tingling, Bella."

"You're not dying you big baby. I'm just calling to tell you that Edward is in fact my boyfriend. We've been together for about a month, and we're going on a date tonight. In public. So you might get a few calls about that. There might also be some photos of me that pop online or on social media. But it's not a big deal. We're just going out for dinner. We don't want to send out any press releases about our relationship. You can confirm that we are together, but you are not going to divulge any further information," Bella said. Edward had put his chin back on Bella's shoulder, and he was nodding in agreement with what she was saying.

"I don't have any further information!" Jake said, still madly clenching and unclenching his right hand. "My talent doesn't tell me shit!"

"Exactly! That way you're not lying to people. See? I'm protecting your integrity, Jakey. We have to go now. We have to call Edward's agent. Kiss Aria for me. I'll bring her back some more glitter glue," Bella said with a gleeful grin on her face.

"Don't you hang up this phone. Bella-"

When Bella hung up, she turned to Edward and asked, "Your turn?"

Edward just laughed. "Is that really how you talk to each other? You're seriously going to leave that conversation like that?"

"Yeah," Bella said, nodding her head. "Jake might be a pain in my ass, but he's good at his job. I've always know he was good at what he does. When Aria was born, I was holding her and had a weak moment. I finally relented and told our boss, Grey, that he could be my agent. Professionally, I haven't ever regretted the decision. Personally, I question my sanity daily."

"He really is your Embry," Edward said with understanding. Picking up his phone, he FaceTimed Kate. She picked up on the first ring.

"Welcome home, Edward. Wait, what's happening right now? Edward? Why are you with Isabella Swan?"

"I actually prefer Bella," Bella said softly.

"Bella's my girlfriend," Edward said simply as a means of explanation. He watched Kate's eye shift from Edward to Bella and back.

"Congratulations," Kate said. Sighing heavily, she said, "And how long has this been going on?"

"A little over a month," Edward said. "I wanted to give you a heads up. I'm taking her on a proper date tonight. We're going out to dinner. In public."

"Oooohhh," Kate said, her tone implying that she understood exactly what was going to happen later.

"Yeah. Exactly," Edward said. "Bella just talked to her agent. Jake…"

"Jacob Black with Grey Publishing," Bella said. She liked Kate. She wasn't flying off the handle like Jake, and she seemed to be taking all of this in stride. The fact that she also wasn't giving Edward sexy eyes also scored her some brownie points.

"We already told Jake that we don't want to send out any formal press releases. If people call you, you can confirm that we're in a relationship, but we're not sharing any further details. We just want to keep it simple. We'll deal with whatever happens as it occurs," Edward said as he watched Kate nod.

"Okay. I'll tell Garrett. Are you both prepared? Did you call Jasper and Embry? You might need to beef up security," Kate warned. She knew Edward was used to it, but she wasn't sure if Bella had experienced the paparazzi feeding frenzy yet.

"I'm planning to call them right after we're done. I just wanted to give you a heads up that you might want to put your phone on silent tonight. It'll probably be ringing all night," Edward said. He didn't want Kate to have to lose sleep over his love life.

"You're just planning to go to dinner, right? Not have sex on your star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, right?"

"Oh, hey, that sounds kind of hot," Edward said before Bella elbowed him in the gut.

"Not happening, Buddy. Not an exhibitionist" Bella said firmly.

"I like you," Kate said. "I don't have to worry about sex tapes."

"I would never do something that stupid," Edward said scoffing a little. "I'm already famous. I don't need to make a sex tape. Only people who want to be famous make and leak their own sex tapes."

"Good. You remember that. I'm a professional, Edward. You don't pay me to do stupid shit like anonymously leak stuff online," Kate said. "Have fun on your date tonight. Bella, if you ever need me for anything, just call. I know you have Jake, but, well, he's a guy."

"Yes!" Bella said leaning forward a little. Finally someone who gets it. "Thank you."

Edward looked between Kate and Bella and shook his head. "I don't understand what just happened here."

Bella reached up and pat Edward on the cheek. "It's okay. You don't have to. Say goodbye to Kate."

"Goodbye to Kate," Edward said as he hung up the phone. Leaning forward, he caught Bella's lips again. "Bella, Sweetheart, Kate is right. We need to tell Jasper and Embry. They will need to know, and you will likely need to have security of your own now."

"Why? I'm not the famous one. I understand having security when I'm with you, but why do I need someone when we're not together? I don't want a shadow," Bella said pouting. She was pretty good at being flexible and rolling with the punches, but she really didn't want to have someone following her around all the time.

"You might not be in the limelight, but you're rich, Bella. You're a self-made…what are you?" Edward asked realizing that he didn't actually know.

Bella mumbled something under her breath that Edward didn't catch. When he leaned closer, she sighed and rolled her eyes. "I'm worth a little over a billion dollars if you count everything-everything and not just earnings."

Edward's jaw dropped a little bit. "Okay, yeah, you're gonna be media fodder on your own. This is going to be bigger than I thought. I want you safe, Bella, at all times, especially when I'm not with you. I want you to be protected. Bella, your safety is of utmost importance to me. I will not risk you."

Groaning, Bella closed her eyes. "Fine. Call Jasper."

Being the smart man that he was, Edward didn't gloat. Instead he picked up his phone and FaceTimed Jasper. When Jasper picked up, he looked back and forth between the faces on his screen before speaking. "Well now. Judging by the look of consternation on Bella' face, I'm going to guess that we're ready to talk about her personal security now."

"For the record, I don't like this, but I will go along with it with a few conditions," Bella said. She was trying to be diplomatic about things. If she was concerned for Edward's safety, she would want him to at least try. She had to at least do that for him. Charlie did always preach to her about the Golden Rule.

"Your distaste for this personal security is noted Bella. Now name your conditions, and we'll see if I can meet them," Jasper said. He was watching Edward, and he had to give the man credit. The boy was staying quiet and letting his woman talk. Edward might be smarter than he gave him credit for as a relationship rookie. Maybe he had learned something from all those Rom Coms.

"You can give me options for personnel, but I want to choose the person. If this person has to be with me all the time, then I would prefer a woman. I don't need some guy breathing down my neck constantly. That's just going to irritate the shit out of me, and it'll scare the kids when I go to the Centers. I also don't want to have to change my schedule or my lifestyle. I dictate what I do and when I do it. Not this shadow," Bella said firmly.

Jasper nodded, taking in all the information. "I can agree to those terms. Now what is happening that you felt the need to talk to me about this now? Just a couple hours ago, you were telling me you don't need a guard. What changed?"

"I'm taking her on a date tonight," Edward said simply.

Jasper sighed. Edward was usually really good about not causing trouble or raising a ruckus, but Jasper knew that this simple date would ignite a firestorm quickly. "Does Embry know?"

"No," Edward said. "We didn't plan on going out. We just decided. I want to take my girlfriend out on a proper date, J."

"Where are you planning to take her? I'm sorry if this discussion spoils any mystique you were hoping to build," Jasper said. He could sympathize for Edward, and he didn't want to make it worse. He just wanted them both to be safe.

"I was going to call Rafe at Melisse in Santa Monica," Edward said. There was no way in hell he would take Bella to some place like Spago or Nobu where the press constantly camped out looking for fresh bait.

Jasper shook his head and made some notes. "I'll talk to Embry, and Embry will call. I'm also bringing in Quil as back-up."

"This sounds so tactical," Bella said softly. She'd seen the change in Jasper's face as he concentrated more and more on the details. The focus in his eyes showed her why he was the best at what he did.

"That's because it is, darlin'" Jasper said softly. Giving her a small smile, he said, "Leave the details to me and the boys. You just enjoy your date. Bella, I'll e-mail you the CVs of the candidates for your personal security. Have a good time tonight, kids."

#####

The afternoon passed quickly. Bella and Edward just enjoyed each other's company while each got some work done. Edward made himself comfortable in Bella's living room and read through the different e-mails from Garrett regarding movie offers and preparation for his filming this summer for the WW1 flick. Bella was pleased that they could settle into work together with comfort and ease. She was actually quite happy that she didn't have to occupy him or relinquish her whole afternoon doting on him. She was able to get through her e-mail and touchbases with her staff in Seattle.

When Embry came back to pick them up for their date, Edward wasn't surprised to see that he had his game face on. This was the same face that he had when Edward had to walk the red carpet or go to public events. For as much as Embry could joke and play, he was a man of business, and his business just happened to be keeping Edward safe. Before Embry went into private security, he had been in the SEALs with Jasper. Edward knew that they'd been through some pretty heavy stuff together, things that neither of them talked about to this day.

After being introduced to Quil, Bella got into the backseat of the SUV with Edward. As they started on their journey from Brentwood to Santa Monica, Embry said, "Bella, Jasper explained that you don't really have any experience with this kind of situation. I want to make it as simple for you as I can because I want this to be about your date and your time with Edward. You're completely safe with Quil and I, but I just need you to be aware of a couple things, okay?"

Bella nodded as Edward squeezed her hand in reassurance.

"We've already talked to Chef Rafe and his team. We'll go in the front like normal, and you'll have your dinner as if you were any other couple. Once you're seated, I'll hang out at the bar, and Quil will come back out to the car. Rafe is going to let us leave the car in the loading dock at the back. If word gets out and the paps show up, I'll walk you out the back when you're done with your meal where Quil will be waiting in the loading dock," Embry said. He kept eye contact with Bella through the rear view mirror, and he could tell that she was nervous.

Edward wrapped his arm around Bella's shoulders and squeezed. "It'll be fine, Bella. You're going on a date with the most awesome male specimen ever created. That's all you need to worry about tonight."

"Quil, did you bring the extra oxygen tanks? Edward's head is taking up all the free air space in here. Can't breathe," Embry said pretending to choke. When Edward punched the back of his chair, he just laughed. "Seriously, Bella. Everything will be fine. This is your first time out, so we don't anticipate too much chaos. Fans will probably snap photos and post them on social media. Paps might get wind and come down. If it does get nuts, then when we all exit the restaurant, I want you between us. You glue yourself to Edward's side and stay between us. I won't let anything happen to either of you. I promise."

Bella took a deep breath and nodded her head. A million thoughts were running through her head at the same time. Embry maintained eye contact with her in the mirror, and she could tell that he was a good guy underneath all the shit he gave Edward. "Embry, I know you don't work for me, but I need you to promise me something."

"If I can promise you, I will, but I have to know what you're asking of me first," Embry said cautiously. In his business as security, he could never promise anyone anything that might put them in danger, and as a man, he knew that making promises to women were never as simple as they seemed.

"Don't hide things from me. I need you to be honest with me all the time. If we're ever in danger, I need you to tell me. I can't help if I'm not fully aware of the situation, and omitting information from me doesn't put me at my best. You have to give me the benefit of the doubt and be honest with me if it concerns my safety or Edward's," Bella said softly, but firmly.

Embry smiled. "I can promise you that. Can I ask you to do something for me in return?"

Edward quirked an eyebrow, but Bella nodded. "Fair is fair."

"Jasper talked to me about your personal security, and I want you to seriously consider one of the people on his list. All of them are good and I trust them all, but I know with absolute certainty that one is the best. Her name is Emily Uley. She's my sister," Embry said with a proud smile. "She was covert ops in the military before she met her husband Sam. That's when she got out and joined me in private security."

"Embry, if I choose Emily, then she'll have to travel with me. When would she spend time with Sam? I don't want to break up a family," Bella said, saddened by the thought.

"Bella, how do you think Maria and I make it work? I travel as much as Edward does, and most of the time, Maria is with me. She's a freelance travel writer, and she's a pretty successful blogger. The travelling works for her," Embry said. "Em's husband Sam is a professional driver. He was a stunt driver for years, so they can join you as a pair."

Bella set her teeth and growled. "I'll think about it. I don't know why everyone has a problem with me taking taxis everywhere. It's a perfectly safe mode of transportation."

"Really, Sweetheart?" Edward asked. "Didn't you see the movie _Taxi Driver_?"

"No," Bella said shaking her head. "Book worm, remember?"

Edward just shook his head and kissed Bella's hair. "Nevermind. Just think about it. I know you will, and I know you don't like doing any of this. Thank you for doing this for me. For us."

"It's worth it if I get to keep you," Bella said softly.

The rest of the car ride went smoothly. Edward and Bella talked to Quil and got to know him a little better. He was younger than Embry and still single. Similar to many of the people that Jasper had employed, Quil was a former Marine. He was quieter and more reserved than Embry and even Jasper, and Edward liked him. He seemed like a solid guy, and he didn't seem hungry for action. Edward liked to live a quiet simple life, although he wasn't sure how much that would change tonight.

When they finally got to the restaurant, they entered and were seated without incident. Edward ordered a bottle of wine, and they shared an appetizer and a salad. Bella liked that Edward didn't try to impress her with his nonexistent knowledge of wine and food. He didn't pretend to be a gourmand just to impress her, and he stayed true to who he was and what he liked.

Edward ordered the steak, and Bella ordered fish. He loved that she was an eater. She didn't put up any pretenses like a lot of the other women he was used to, and he appreciated that Bella was real with him all the time. She laughed at him. She laughed with him, and she was honest with him. She was brave enough to disagree with him, and she would go up against him if she believed he was wrong, like when he tried to convince him that country music was better than classic and alternative rock.

True to what Jasper and Embry had said, they both quickly forgot that Embry was at the bar. Neither of them noticed that there were a few other patrons that pulled out their phones to take pictures of him. No one interrupted their meal, and they didn't even think about the fact that there might be pictures of them surfacing on the internet at that very moment.

When it was time for dessert, Bella was thrilled to find that Edward was a food sharer. Her ex-boyfriend wasn't into sharing food with her. He maintained that they both eat only what they ordered, but that never satisfied her. She just wanted to have a couple of bites to try things, not finish an entire dish on her own. So when Edward offered to share strawberry and the chocolate dessert with her, so they could both enjoy them, Bella's smile made her eyes light up. Edward felt like he'd given her the world, and all he gave her was dessert.

After the server took care of the check, Edward's phone buzzed in his pocket. Pulling it out, he saw that he had a text from Embry.

 _Sorry, man. Paps are here. Going to have to go out the back. Car is ready. Just hold on to your girl. I've got the rest._

Bella saw the frown pass Edward's face, and she just knew. Their bubble had burst. When he looked up at her with sad eyes, she smiled. "Come on. I always wanted to see the restaurant kitchen."

Edward took Bella's hand, and as soon as they stood up, Embry was on her other side. They walked through the kitchen, and said thank you to Rafe. Bella was amazed by the noise and "the dance" that happened as all the food was being prepared. When Edward tucked Bella under his arm, Bella slid her arm under his jacket and held on tightly to his waist. She felt Embry against her other side, as they approached the back door.

When the door opened, it was like a wall of light and sound engulfed them from the outside. The clatter of pans and dishes in the kitchen got drowned out by people yelling Edward's name. Because it was already dark their flashes were going off constantly, and it made Bella feel like she was staring at a thousand strobe lights at the same time.

The walk from the kitchen door to the car must have been only about ten feet, but it felt like a mile. Edward stayed quiet and didn't answer any of the questions being yelled at him. He just kept his arm around Bella and made sure none of them could grab at her. He and Embry moved at the same pace to break the crowd that surrounded him in an effort to keep Bella buffered by their backs and arms.

Edward and Embry made sure that Bella got into the car first. As soon as Edward got in behind her, Embry shut the door and jumped in the front seat.

Placing his hands on her cheeks, Edward brought Bella's face to his. Looking into her eyes, he could see the anxiety and the fear, which made him feel like the biggest piece of shit. Softly, he said, "Still think I'm worth it?"


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: I haven't said it before because it's a given, but this chapter in particular may necessitate the following disclaimers:**

 **SM owns everything. I just borrowed the names and relationships, and gave each of her characters a new personality, new life, and a new reality. SM is the original genius. I'm just borrowing and playing.**

 **I know very little about the film industry. The facts in this chapter have been made up, just like everything else. Please remember, this is fiction. It's not meant to be taken too seriously.**

 **#####**

#Belward – Chapter 18

Bella blinked several times in rapid succession. She still had bright spots floating in front her eyes from all the flashes, and her ears were ringing a little from all the shouting. But she focused on the warmth of Edward's hands on her cheeks. Looking into his eyes, she could see how much worry was there. The poor man was terrified that she would leave him just because people were fucking nosey bastards.

Grabbing his wrists in her hands, she pulled him forward so their foreheads touched. Bella purposely tempered her voice, so she wasn't yelling over the ringing in her years. "That was the most insane thing I've ever been through, but what a rush. Of course you're still worth it, Edward. It's just a bunch of noise and some flashing lights. Tomorrow the tabloids will probably say that they don't like my dress and I need to lose weight, but I'm not trying to impress them. I don't care what they think. I care what you think."

"Well, I love your dress, and I think you're perfect the way you are," Edward said with a smile and a relieved sigh. Tipping his head down, he placed his lips on the shell of her ear and whispered, "In fact, I very much love your curvy body pressed against mine. I might like it a little too much."

"Hey!" Embry yelled. "No making out in the car. I swear to God. I will stop this car right now, children."

Edward flipped him off and muttered, "Cockblocking little shit."

Turning around in his seat, Embry looked at Bella said, "Hey Bella, did you know that Edward hasn't had sex with anyone other than his hand in 12 years?"

"I haven't had sex with anyone other than my hand in 8. What's your point?" Bella asked, feeling the car swerve a little. "You okay, Quil?"

"Uh, yeah. Sorry," Quil muttered quietly. Seeing that both Embry and Edward had eyes on him, he said, "I'm good. We're good. Sorry."

Turning to Bella, Embry said, "Bella, you can't say shit like that to the boy. He's still a newbie. Eddie, you okay? You look…you look like you don't know what to do right now."

"I don't," Edward admitted. "I'm torn. Part of me is fucking turned on what Bella said. The other part of me wants to rip your goddamn ears off."

Bella chuckled a little at the boys' ridiculousness. "Edward, maybe we should get one of those cars that has a partition between the front and the back? That way we won't bother Quil, and Embry can mind his own business."

"You're a fucking genius," Edward said. Looking at Embry, he said, "Get one. By tomorrow. I don't care what the outside looks like. I just want the partition thing in the front, so I can lock your ass on the other side of the car."

Embry pouted and turned around in his seat. "Fine. I wonder if they make a hummer limo with partitions. That would be fucking kick ass. I'm not driving some old Buick."

"Technically, I'm driving," Quil said quietly.

"Shut up, Quil," Embry said as he continued to talk to himself. If Edward was giving him the okay to buy a new car, he was going to make the purchase count.

That night, Edward decided to go back to his house for the night. As much as he wanted to spend the night with Bella, he needed to check on a few things at home and get some new clothes. The goodbye eat Bella's door was drawn out, and Embry gave Edward shit when he got back into the car.

When they got back to Edward's house, there were paps outside the gate, and Edward tried to get Quil to run them all over. He even offered Quil a million dollars, but Quil still wouldn't hit the bastards.

Once he was inside his house, Edward looked around. It was big, but it was empty. Sighing, Edward went up to his bedroom and dropped his bag on the floor. He would take care of it tomorrow. Stripping off his jeans, jacket, shirt and tie, he threw them all on the chaise at the end of the bed. He didn't actually know what that thing was used for other than holding his dirty clothes.

After washing up in the bathroom, Edward crawled into bed and looked up at the ceiling. Grabbing his phone off the nightstand, he sent Bella a text.

 **Miss you already.**

Bella's reply was almost immediate. _Wish you were still here._

 **Maybe I can pack up some stuff and come back tomorrow?**

 _Will you stay with me until I have to leave for Seattle at the end of the week?_

 **Only if you want me to.**

 _I want you to. Very much._

 **OK. I'd love to stay with you. You have a meeting tomorrow morning?**

 _Yeah, I have to meet with DreamWorks about Transcendence._

 **I have to go in for a meeting with Fox and then one with Garrett to talk about filming this summer. Meet you for lunch?**

 _OK. Call me when your meeting is through. Maybe you and Embry can pick me up since I won't have a driver and a shadow yet._

 **Can do. Be safe tomorrow. I'm going to send Quil to pick you up and take you to Dreamworks. I'll be fine with just Embry in the morning. No arguing. Please let me do this.**

 _Ok. Thank you. Get some rest. You must be beat from flying today._

 **Love you.**

 _Love you._

#####

It was barely 5:30 in the morning when Bella's iPad started to ring. Opening her eyes, she saw that Jake was trying to Skype her. Groaning, she swiped her finger across the screen and plopped her head back on the pillow.

"Hello? Bella, where are you?" Jake asked. Looking around, he could see her bedroom dimly, but it was still dark. "Is the iPad on your nightstand? Are you still sleeping? Wake up. We need to talk."

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" Bella asked with her head still on her pillows and her blankets still pulled up to her chin.

"Yeah, it's 8:30. Wakey wakey," Jake said.

"On this coast you dumbass!" Bella said. Sitting up, she ran her hand over her hair and gave Jake the death glare. "And what if I wasn't alone right now?"

"You better be alone in that bed," Jake said trying to look around her again. "Don't be giving away the goods this early in the game. Just because people think he has a panty dropping smile doesn't mean you actually have to drop them."

Bella rolled her eyes and rubbed her hands over her face. "What do you want? I was really hoping to sleep for another hour."

"Sorry, honey, but we need to talk about the date heard round the world before you walk into DreamWorks this morning," Jake said gently.

With her mood sobered, Bella frowned. "Is it bad?"

"Uh, it's unusual press for you, but it's normal for Hollywood. I don't really know how to summarize it other than that," Jake said. Giving her a small, encouraging smile, he said, "A third don't know who you are. They're still trying to figure out who the mystery brunette on Edward's arm was last night. A third think that Edward finally snapped from the public pressure, and you're now his beard. That is fucking hilarious. The last third know who you are, and they have dubbed you new Hollywood royalty."

Bella watched as Jake started drumming his hands on the table. "Ladies and gentleman, I present to you…"

Jake lifted a screen shot on his phone of Bella and Edward having dinner at the restaurant. They were both laughing and looking at each other, and below the photo there were big bold letters reading: #Belward.

"What the fuck?" Bella asked as she stared. "Oh my god. This is so stupid. I'm going back to bed."

"I know you're still listening, so I'm going to keep talking," Jake said. Even though Bella had plopped back down onto her pillows, he knew she wouldn't fall asleep. The wheels in her brain were spinning, and she'd have a hard time turning off her thoughts now. "The good news is that you are now in the top ten trending topics on Twitter and Facebook. Your website has gotten a million hits in the last few hours, and this hashtag is going viral."

Bella just groaned without lifting her head off the pillow. She was too comfortable to move. "Talk to me about stuff I understand, Jake."

"Grey actually thinks this is funny. He knows you hate attention and shit like this, so he thinks it's ironic that you'd get yourself into something like this. He said he doesn't care how you choose to deal with it. It's all up to you, and he'll support whatever decision you choose to make," Jake said. Their boss could be a stern, controlling man, but he recognized talent and he wasn't about to push Bella. She had an open ended contract and could jump to another house at any time. Being the smart man that he was, Grey knew that keeping Bella happy also meant keeping 20% of his gross revenue.

Jake saw Bella's hand come up and gesture for him to keep going. "I've already gotten calls from Good Morning America, Entertainment Weekly, Access Hollywood, Ryan Seacrest, and People Magazine. They all want an exclusive interview with the woman who finally captured Edward Cullen. At this time, I've told them that unless they want to talk to you about your book tour, then we have no comment."

Bella's hand popped back up and gave Jake a thumb's up. "Kate Denali called, and we have a conference call set-up for later today. We want to be on the same page moving forward on addressing everything that comes in, and we want to be prepared with damage control that is consistent and cohesive. Do you want to sit in on that?"

"Nope," Bella said without lifting her head. "You do whatever it is that you PR people do, and you let me know what you come up with. I reserve every right to tell you to go fuck yourself."

"A right you exercise quite often," Jake said with a roll of his eyes. "I'll also be talking to Jasper later today. We have your book tour this summer, and now that you're a hashtag, we're likely going to have to beef up security at each of the venues. Have you looked through the CVs that Jasper sent you? Did you make a selection?"

"Yes, I went through it last night. I emailed him that I'd like to go with Sam and Emily Uley," Bella said. She knew that Jake would make sure that Sam and Emily now had flights and clearance to every venue, and that he would also inform Angela and Ben of recent developments.

"Good," Jake said, making some notes on his tablet. "Now, about this hashtag thing. I have some ideas."

Bella's head popped up faster than Jake anticipated. Pointing her fingers at the screen, Bella said firmly, "No. No hashtag anything. We're done talking. I'm hungry, and I think I deserve some real food. I wonder if Zafrina's up yet. She makes the best Huevos Rancheros."

"Hey, I want some. FedEx it to me. Come on," Jake said before Bella swiped the screen to hang up on him.

#####

Edward didn't want to listen anymore. It was depressing him to know how much time he would have to spend away from Bella this summer. As he listened to Garrett go over the filming schedule, he sat back in the chair and ran his hand through his hair.

"You leave in three weeks, and you're gone for a solid three months. Most of the filming will take place in the countryside in France, but there will likely be a few weeks when you have to go into the city for some stuff," Garrett said. Looking at Edward, he recognized the look of dread on his face. "I've never seen this look of dread on your face before, Edward."

"Three months and no breaks?" Edward asked. He wasn't usually one to ask for breaks. In the past, he didn't care how strenuous the filming was or how long it lasted. He just went through the motions because it was required of him. This was the first time he was asking for a break.

"No, sorry, man. Apparently the director is fighting with the season changes. We have to wrap before the fall sets in otherwise it could compromise the scenes," Garrett said. He knew why Edward wanted a break and he could sympathize. He didn't know what he would do if he couldn't see Kate for three months. "Is there any way she can come see you?"

"I don't know," Edward said shaking his head. "I'm going to have to ask I guess. She has a place in Paris. Will we be far from there?"

"Kind of," Garrett said. "When you're in the country, you're deep in it. But I can e-mail you the dates for the filming in the city and the location for the country filming. We'll work it out."

"And after this one wraps, I have the action triplet?" Edward asked. He'd committed his calendar so long ago that he had a hard time remembering the line-up.

"Yeah," Garrett said as he pulled up the next set of files on his computer. "The director wants to film all of the films at one time for continuity. The good thing is that it puts you in New York for a solid nine months. You'll be with your family for the holidays for once."

"And after that?" Edward asked. He hadn't thought this far into the relationship where it had occurred to him that he might need to coordinate calendars with Bella. In fact, he didn't even know how she scheduled herself. They'd have to talk about that.

"Well, between Paris and New York you actually have about a month off. Then by the time the triplet wraps, you don't have anything lined up. You have to choose from the scripts I sent you. Most of them are lighter Rom Coms because the ladies love you in those. There are a couple period pieces, and there's one indie flick. I'm partial to the indie flick, but ultimately, it's your call," Garrett said. Sighing, he looked at Edward and said, "Honestly, Edward, you've been working nonstop for more than a decade. No one will think less of you if you take a break at some point."

"And do what?" Edward laughed. "I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I took time off."

Garrett just shrugged. "I don't know. Talk it over with Bella. Don't make too many decisions on your own. Take it from a guy that's been married for almost fifteen years. You never win if you think by yourself."

#####

The meeting with DreamWorks was going rather well. So far, everything looked like it was going according to plan, and Bella was happy with the studio's commitment to maintaining the integrity of the adaptation. The director liked her screenplay, and all of the wheels were in place to move forward.

"Let's get on to casting. We've just brought on the casting director who is in the process of reading the screenplay, as well as your character descriptions," said Jane, one of the low-level vice presidents at DreamWorks. "We have been informed by your agent that you have already made a selection for the lead actress, and you've secured a verbal commitment from her. Is that correct?"

"Yes, I'd like to go with Rosalie Hale for the part, and she is agreeable to project once we finalize the timeline for filming," Bella said. She was relatively new to the film industry, but she'd studied up and done her homework because she refused to sound like an amateur or remotely unprofessional or unqualified.

"Ms. Swan, what makes you think you have the right to cast anyone in a movie?" Jane said with a tilt of her head. "You're just the writer."

"I understand that, Ms. Volturi, however, I feel I should have more right than anyone when it comes to my characters. They belong to me. I created them from nothing, and I've brought them to life in the world that I created," Bella said firmly but calmly. "The casting director that you hired is only now starting to acclimate himself to Transcendence. Those characters and that world have been real to me for more than four years. I am the ultimate authority because I am the creator. I am allowing this studio to buy the rights to this adaptation, and I am giving each person that touches this project, including you, creative freedom to alter what I made."

"My, what a God complex you have, Ms. Swan," Jane said easily, reminding Bella of Miranda from _The Devil Wears Prada_. "So you can tell me with absolute certainty that your decision to cast Rosalie Hale in a role totally unbefitting of her has nothing to do with the fact that you are now dating her brother-in-law? This isn't some ploy to get in good with the future in-laws is it, Ms. Swan?"

"I can tell you with absolute certainty that it is not, Ms. Volturi," Bella said. Her exterior demeanor may read calm and controlled, but on the inside, she was seething. "In fact, Rosalie and I talked about this project long before Edward and I ever went on a date. I chose her not because of who her family is, but what she can do as an actress. I might not be a professional scout, but I recognize talent when I see it. Rosalie Hale is the key to bringing this movie to life. If you cannot support me on that, I will take this movie to a studio that can."

Jane had the audacity to laugh. "Ms. Swan, do you really think you can walk away with this movie? You signed a contract. If you shop this adaptation to another studio, you will be in breach and forced to deal with all of the consequences."

And that was the last straw for Bella. No one threatened her and got away with it. "Oh, I know. I read the contract, and so did my lawyers. They laughed. Next time, Ms. Volturi, you should read your contracts a little better, or hire lawyers that actually do their homework. You slapped me with a copy and paste writers' contract. Do you really think that a fine of $5 million means anything to me? I can make that kind of money back in less than an hour."

"But you can't buy back your reputation, Ms. Swan. Not in this town," Jane said through clenched teeth. Someone in legal was going down for the oversight in her contract. "You screw me over, and no one in Hollywood will want to hire you."

Now, it was Bella's turn to laugh. "And that matters to me, why? These screenplays are a hobby for me, Ms. Volturi. I wrote them because the studios begged me for them, and I'm just too much of a control freak to let some novice writer that really is scared of $5 million touch my work. I don't ever have to work in Hollywood again. My happiness and my livelihood do not depend on it. Not like yours."

"I would watch yourself, Ms. Swan. You wouldn't want your misbehavior to affect your boyfriend, now would you? What would happen to poor Edward if word got out that his little girlfriend was a two-faced egomaniac?" Jane asked with a cold smile.

Bella just shook her head. "This town is so deranged. The lies you spread about me should not have anything to do with Edward's talent and professionalism. But because it does, you think you can scare me by threatening him. Well, you can think again, Ms. Volturi. My agent has been fielding calls all morning from the media. The people want me. I can be all over every media facet by the end of the day as Hollywood's next princess. One big, well-played media splash, and me and my prince charming are untouchable."

Standing up, Bella looked Jane directly in the eyes and said, "You think really hard about your next few words, Ms. Volturi, and you remember who you're talking to. Don't play with the big dogs unless you know you can keep up."

Not having anything to say, Jane narrowed her eyes and glared at Bella.

As Bella walked out the door, she saw that she had a text from Edward telling her that he was already done with his meeting. When she called him, he answered before the first ring was over.

"Hi Sweetheart, are you still at Dreamworks? I'm headed that way with Embry now to pick you up," Edward said.

"Edward, I'm going to need you to come and meet me inside. I need your help dealing with something."


	19. Chapter 19

#Belward – Chapter 19

By the time Edward got to the DreamWorks offices, he was livid. He'd met Jane Volturi on a couple of occasions when he'd worked on films, but they'd never directly worked together on a project. He could tell that she was a power-hungry, ladder-climber. She liked talking down to her assistants, and she always introduced herself by stating her title first.

Bella and Quil were waiting in the lobby, and as soon as Edward laid eyes on Bella, he knew that she was angry. Even though he was as upset as she was, he had to admit that pissed off Bella was pretty hot. This wasn't an angry spitting kitten in front of him. Nope. His Bella was a powerful lioness stalking her prey.

When Bella saw Edward, she smiled at him. She knew he'd gone to his own meeting this morning with Fox, and she was glad to see that he was dressed in his slate gray suit. Even though he was sans tie, he still looked mouth-wateringly handsome. But what made Bella even happier was that he also looked powerful.

The second they stood next to each other, heads started to turn their way. Despite the fact that it was a very secure building, people weren't used to seeing them together yet. Both Edward and Bella could hear the voices starting to murmur and whisper, but at least none of them had the gall to take out their cellphones for a picture.

"Thank you for supporting me in this," Bella said quietly. She didn't want people to overhear her, and she knew that the glass and marble made noises echo louder than they should in the lobby.

Edward just smiled and brushed his hand lightly across her cheek. "You never have to thank me for supporting you, Bella. I'm in this with you 110%, and I'll always back you up. What hurts you, hurts me."

When Bella just smiled warmly at him, he felt like he grew ten feet. Taking a deep breath, he looked behind Bella at Embry and Quil. Edward had filled in Embry in the car, and he was ready to lay down the law. Quil had that same look on his face that Jasper did when he was angry. Calm and blank. That was scarier than anything. Looking at the men that stood behind his woman, Edward said quietly, "You both ready to help me hide the body?"

Embry nodded and smirked. "Of course. I can hide anything and ensure it'll never be found."

Edward looked at Quil, who still didn't smile. Instead, he said quietly and calmly, "Let me handle it. There won't be a body to be found."

"Quil for the win," Edward said gleefully.

"Suck up," Embry muttered. "I can do that too."

Bella just rolled her eyes. "Boys. Come on. Let's go. I don't want to be here all day. I'm getting hungry, and that's making me more pissed off."

Edward laughed quietly under his breath and placed his hand lightly on the small of Bella's back as they walked back to the elevators. Once they were in the elevator, he asked, "I'll follow your lead. If you tell me you got this, I trust you. I'll jump in when necessary."

Reaching down, Bella grabbed Edward's hand and squeezed. "Thank you. For trusting me. For being here."

Edward just smiled and followed Bella out the elevator to the hallway that lead to the executive offices. Embry and Quil both took a seat in the waiting area, as Edward and Bella walked to Gianna's desk. Gianna was the Executive Assistant to the President of DreamWorks.

Standing up, Gianna smoothed her hands over her skirt and smiled. "Good afternoon, Mr. Cullen and Ms. Swan. How can I help you?"

Bella smiled warmly and said, "Hi Gianna. Is Marcus in? I know we don't have an appointment, but something urgent has come up, and we'd like to have a word with him if he has time."

"One moment please, and I'll check," Gianna said politely, as she walked to Marcus' door. Knocking softly, she peeked her head in and spoke softly. A few seconds later, she walked back to Edward and Bella and gestured for them to follow her. "Right this way. "

When Edward and Bella entered Marcus' office he was just standing up from behind his desk. Walking around, he went straight to shake their hands. "Good afternoon, Edward and Bella. I hear congratulations are in order."

They both laughed lightly and shook Marcus' hand. Smiling, Edward said, "Don't congratulate me yet, Marcus. You can do that when I get her to marry me."

"Marriage talk already?" Marcus asked, gesturing for them to take a seat on the couches in the seating area of his office.

Edward just shrugged. "When you know, you know."

"I can't argue with that. I knew my Didi was the one for me by the end of our first date, and I proposed three days later," Marcus said with a laugh. "But I'm assuming that you're not here to talk to me about marriage are you?"

"No, we're not," Bella said softly but firmly. "I'm sorry to barge in like this without an appointment, but I wanted to speak with you in person sooner rather than later. Marcus, I was here today for a meeting about Transcendence, and that particular project is one that you had a particular interest in. You came to me personally to ask me for the adaptation, and you gave me your word that the studio would support me and my desire to make the movie as authentic as possible."

Marcus looked between Bella and Edward and nodded. "That's correct, Bella. Didi loves your work, and as soon as she read the book, she insisted that I read it. She said that I had to bring the book to life on the big screen, and I agreed with her. The story begs to be seen in lights and color. May I ask if something happened this morning to make you question my support of the project?"

"Marcus, please know that I mean absolutely no disrespect. I understand that Jane is your niece, and you chose her for this project believing that she would care for it like you do, but my meeting this morning proves to me that she does not have the same feelings as you do," Bella said. Looking Marcus directly in the eyes, she continued, "Now don't get me wrong. This is business for both of us, and feelings shouldn't get in the way of anything. However, when a person's feelings start to get in the way of professionalism and productivity, then I have cause for concern."

Sighing, Marcus ran his hand over his face. "Bella, what did Jane do?"

"I admit that I may have overstepped my grounds as the writer by casting the lead actress and engaging in a verbal commitment with her, and I apologize if I have offended you or the studio in any way. However, I believe that I made the right choice, and know there is no one better for the role than Rosalie Hale," Bella said firmly.

"Rosalie Hale?" Marcus asked. He was silent for a few seconds before nodding his head slowly. "Yes, I can see where you're going with this. She would need to transform her appearance quite a bit, and it's not like other roles she's taken before. She wants to do this?"

Bella nodded. "Yes. She is as excited about this project and as committed to it as both you and I are, and I truly believe that this will be the role of a lifetime for her and for DreamWorks."

Leaning back in his chair, Marcus clasped his hands together and took a deep breath. "And Jane does not agree with your casting?"

"Jane does not agree with a lot of things about me or this project," Bella stated clearly. "First she undermined my expertise and my authority with my work. Then she personally insulted me, and she proceeded to threaten me with a breach of contract. When that didn't work, she threatened to ruin my career, which didn't bother me the way she wanted it to. So she ended our conversation by threatening Edward's career, which is why I asked him to come with me this morning. I believe that he has a right to know when someone is threatening him and his career."

When Marcus sighed and ran his hand over his face, Edward leaned forward and said, "Marcus, you and I have known each other for years now, and we've worked our way up in this business together. I respect you, and that's why I want to be completely upfront when I tell that I will not take it lightly if Jane sets out on a path to damage my career. My team will take action and be forced to sue her for slander and defamation."

"Additionally," Bella said, "I am fully prepared to buy out my contract with DreamWorks if the studio cannot support my decisions for Transcendence. Since the screenplay is already done and Rosalie is on-board, I'm sure I can find another studio that is willing to work with both of us. Marcus, please understand that I came to you with this because I value our professional relationship, and I'm putting the ball in your court as to how you would like to proceed. I felt it fair for you to be aware of the current situation and the potential future for this project."

"Furthermore," Edward continued. "I have to be honest and say that I believed in DreamWorks' mission to produce high quality entertainment with integrity, and if there is a new direction or if there has been a change in how projects are being executed, then I would like to know now. It's important to me to know who I'm working with, and I'd appreciate your honesty and candidness if there has been a change in directive."

Marcus leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. Looking Edward and Bella, he said firmly, "I am truly sorry for any insult or offense to either of you. That was never the intent of this studio, and I can assure you that it will not happen again. I won't make excuses for Jane because she is an adult. I will, however, promise that you will not have to work with her again after today. All of your projects, current and future, will be assigned to new individuals."

Nodding once, Bella said, "Thank you, Marcus. We appreciate your support, and we're sorry to have had to trouble you with this. We know that you're a busy man and would like to thank you for taking time to hear our concerns."

"No, I'm sorry," Marcus said. Shaking his head, he said "I made a mistake when it came to Jane. I gave her too much responsibility too quickly. I value you both as partners in this business, and I don't want to jeopardize our relationship. Again, I'm so sorry."

Edward and Bella shook hands with Marcus and told him goodbye. As they were heading to the waiting area to where Embry and Quil were waiting for them, they heard Marcus yell into his phone at Jane to get into his office immediately.

When they got into the elevator, Embry looked at Edward and Bella quizzically. "What? No body? I was waiting for a body. Why must you always take away my fun, Eddie?!"

Edward threw his arm around Bella's shoulders and pulled her close. After dropping a kiss on her head, he said, "Because, Embry. I love raining on your parade. Now, Bella, I think it's time to feed you. Anything you want for lunch is yours."

Bella thought for a second before smiling up at Edward. "I want a taco."

Forty-five minutes later, Edward and Bella were grabbing their tacos from a big, burly Mexican guy named Jorge who took up the entire window of the truck he was standing in. Embry and Quil stood on either side of them. There was a small crowd taking photos, and a few had asked for autographs and photos while they were waiting for food. Both Edward and Bella had agreed to sign and smile whenever they were asked.

As soon as they got into the car, someone's stomach growled loudly. Looking around, they all saw the tips of Quil's ears glowing red. "Sorry."

Bella put her hand on Quil's shoulder and said, "I know how you feel. "

Reaching through the newly purchased partition, Edward handed a paper bag through to Embry and Quil. "I hope this enough for you guys. If not, too bad. I'm not sharing."

"Thank you," Quil said happily. Looking at Embry, he said, "You better save me one or hand me one to eat as we drive. I might be a newbie, but I can level your ass old man."

"This is the greatest fucking thing ever," Edward said as he looked on in delight as someone else got picked on for a change. Looking over at Bella, he asked, "Where to now?"

Bella smiled and said, "Home."

#####

When they got back to Bella's house, they said goodbye to Quil and Embry. They promised that they would not leave the house without notifying one of them, and they agreed to lay low and stay in for the day. Walking in to the house, Edward followed Bella to the bedroom where she immediately kicked off her shoes.

"I hate wearing shoes in the house," Bella explained. "I'm a fuzzy sock kind of person. I only wear the death trap heels when I have to. My mom told me that I have to wear them when I go out because they make my short legs look longer, and it makes my butt look better."

Edward tilted his head and twirled his finger. Understanding his instruction, Bella spun in a circle in front of him. Nodding, Edward said, "I consider myself to be an authority on your form, and I have to say with absolute certainty that your legs and your ass still look stunning without the heels. In fact…"

Suddenly, he rushed forward and picked Bella up. Taking big strides over to the bed, he tossed her into the middle of the large California King. When she bounced, she laughed, and he quickly followed suit, plopping himself down right next to her. With his feet still hanging off the bed, he toed off his shoes.

Looking up at his smiling face, Bella reached up and ran her hand over his cheek. She could feel the beginning of his scruff starting to grow from his clean shave this morning. Running her thumb over his cheekbone, she said, "Thank you for today. I was worried that you'd think that I was overreacting or being a whiny baby about the whole Jane thing."

Edward was lying on his side, perched on his elbow. Running his free hand down to her hip, he said, "I'm glad that you said something to me and to Marcus, Bella. You stood up for yourself, for your work, for us, and for me. You kicked ass today, and I'm proud of you."

"I was afraid that you would think that I was overexerting my non-existent authority, and I didn't want to come off as the bitchy girlfriend. I've seen an episode or two of Real Housewives and Basketball Wives, and I don't want to be like them," Bella said, smiling as she watched Edward's eyebrows raise. "I didn't want you to think that I was trying to emasculate you either."

"You were not even remotely like that," Edward said. "And you definitely didn't emasculate me. In fact, I wanted to show you off to the world when we walked out of there. I wanted to tell everyone out there that fuck yeah. This is my woman, and she kicks ass. Your confidence and control today was so fucking sexy."

Quirking an eyebrow, Bella ran her hand up Edward's arm. Even under his suit jacket, she could feel the corded muscles in his bicep.

"Well, if we're going to talk about sexy," Bella said softly. "I have to admit that I didn't mind everyone taking pictures of us today. I want the world to know that this fuck hot man is mine."

"Mmmm, yours," Edward said as he leaned closer. Lowering himself slowly, he stopped when the tip of his nose touched the tip of hers. "Are you laying claim to me, Sweetheart?"

"Hell yeah," Bella said softly before she closed the gap between his lips and hers. To Bella, Edward was the perfect man to kiss. His shoulders and his neck were strong and steady, but his lips were always so soft. She loved when there was just a hint of scruff on his cheeks and chin, and he seemed to always taste like mint, coffee, and sugar.

Opening her lips, she gently sucked his bottom lips between hers. Very softly, she dragged her teeth against his lip as she released it from her mouth before finishing the kiss with a soft peck.

Groaning, Edward buried his forehead in the crook of Bella's neck. "You're going to be the death of me, Sweetheart. I swear. Every damn thing about you drives me wild."

As Edward peppered kisses along the column of her neck, Bella sighed in contentment and stretched out like a happy cat. Turning her body towards him, she hooked her leg over his hip and pulled him closer. When she was basically coiled around him with her fingers in his hair, she let her eyes close. "Before we get too lost in our own little world, was there anything you wanted to do today?"

Edward's simple answer was to softly push his hips further into hers.

Laughing, Bella said, "Mmm, other than that."

Without lifting his head, Edward murmured, "I just want to spend time with you. Did you have to work? You don't have to occupy me. I'm a big boy."

Feeling a little naughty, Bella pushed her hips up and met Edward in just the right place. "Yeah, you are."

"Fuck, Bella," Edward groaned. Opening his mouth, he gently bit the spot where her neck met her shoulder.

As Bella felt Edward's tongue soothing the slight sting of his bite, she gave up any hope of having a rational conversation. At this point there was only one thing either of them wanted, and she'd be damned if she was going to deny them what they so craved.

Moaning quietly, Bella slide her hands under Edward's jacket. "Edward, there's a dress code for this afternoon's activities."

"Hmm?"

"Clothing not required."


	20. Chapter 20

#Belward – Chapter 20

The sun was finally setting, and Bella's room was starting to get dark. The couple had spent the afternoon alternating between making love, talking, and cat-napping. All in all, it was probably one of Bella's most productive afternoons in a long while. She and Edward were both on their sides facing each other with their free hands clasped between them.

"I hope you don't feel like I kidnapped you," Bella said softly. "I've been thinking that you spend so much time away that you probably wanted to be at home for a little while, and I kind of stole you away from that."

Edward continued to play with Bella's fingers as he said, "I realized when I was home last night that it's just a house. It's really no different to me than any of the hotels that I stay at when I travel. If I were home, I'd just be wishing I was here with you instead. You're like this force of gravity for me. There's this pull, and I have to be near you if I can manage it."

"I know," Bella said. Closing her eyes, she focused on the feel of Edward's fingers on hers. "I kind of don't want to leave for Seattle in a few days. I really don't want to, in fact."

Edward took a deep breath. He knew they had to talk about his schedule and what they were going to do, and now was probably as good a time as any. "I talked to Garrett about my schedule for the next year today."

"A year? Wow," Bella said. She was afraid of this conversation because she knew that it would mean they would be away from each other, but she knew they had to talk about it. The more they insulated themselves from reality, the harder it would be later. "That's a long time."

"It is. I made all of these commitments before I knew you," Edward said sadly. Reaching up, he tucked Bella's hair behind her ear. "I have a break for three weeks before I have to go to France for three months. I'll be deep in the country for most of the filming, but there will be a few weeks when I'll be in Paris. After I finish that film, I have about a month off. Then I film an action triplet for nine months in New York. At least I get to spend the holidays with my family this year. Hopefully I'll get to spend it with you too, if you're willing to put up with all of this."

Bella scooted closer to Edward and wrapped her arm across his waist. "When you have breaks or time off, what do you usually do?"

"It depends," Edward said, shrugging his shoulders. "Sometimes I have to prep for a role if it means I have to physically change my appearance. Other times I go home and spend time with my family. I've run away a few times just to have a break and have silence. I'm kind of hoping that I can spend my breaks and time off with you."

"Will you come with me to Seattle? I'll be there for a few days before I go back to New York. I have a couple of things in New York, but they're minor. Can you leave for Paris from there? God, I hate having to ask you to follow me around like this. I wish I could just drop everything to stay here with you," Bella said. She felt like she was being so demanding, and she hated that. She wanted to be able to be there for him.

"Relationships take compromise, right?" Edward said feeling hopeful. At least she was trying to make it work and trying to find alternative solutions so they could be together instead of just giving up. "I'll be wherever you want me to be until I have to leave for Paris."

Leaning forward, Bella placed a soft kiss on his lips. "Thank you. I have my book tour while you're in France, but it's for the first couple of months. When will you be in Paris?"

"Paris is scheduled for the last month of filming. It's the very last thing we do before we return to the States," Edward said softly.

Bella thought about her calendar in her head. Jake had e-mailed her the tour schedule and she had just gone over it the day before. "Okay. I think that might work out. My tour is about two months long. I think I finish right before you head to Paris. I know you'll be working, but maybe I can meet you there? Will you be allowed to stay at my place instead of the hotel?"

The biggest smile graced Edward's face. A tidal wave of relief rushed over him. Two months without Bella still sucked, but at least there was some light at the end of the tunnel. "You can take time off without travelling? Will that be okay?"

Bella nodded. "The travel is worse in the Spring and early summer because of all the scholarship banquets the Foundation puts on, but the rest of the year isn't too bad. I've been getting tired of all the traveling, and I've been hoping for an excuse to not have to do it so often. Just because I've worked with a certain schedule in the past doesn't mean I always have to live like this. I'm the boss. I can make my own rules."

Edward looked at Bella and just knew. He just knew so many things. In the short time that they'd been together, she'd become everything to him. He didn't know he was waiting for her. He didn't realize he'd been searching for her. Yet there she was, and how his whole life was different because of her. Lifting his arm, Edward ran the side of his thumb up and down her side where her waist met her hip. Tracing the dip and the curve up and down, he said, "Bella, where is your home? If you had to choose a home base, where would you say that is?"

"Probably New York because my dad lives in Weehawken," Bella said. Looking down at Edward's shirt, Bella asked softly, "Is yours in LA?"

"It was," Edward said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I moved here because it was where Hollywood was. Now, I don't have to be here for auditions all the time. People send scripts to me, and I can afford to buy a plane ticket as often as I need one. I actually don't like it here as much because of the constant media circus. It's quieter on the East Coast. People give less of a fuck who you are there."

Edward bent his head forward to rest his forehead on Bella's. He felt the butterflies in his stomach, and did his best to not let anxiety get the best of him. He didn't plan on asking this question, and the thought hadn't even occurred to him prior to today. But it just felt like he needed to ask. "Would you be open to me moving to New York? Not just because I have a long stint there to film. Rather I'd be moving my home to be with you."

"On one condition," Bella said.

"Name it," Edward said confidently. "I'll give you anything and everything."

"When you move to New York, you move in with me," Bella said biting her lip nervously. Now that she had him, she didn't want to let him go.

Edward smiled so brightly he felt like he could light the room. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. It's not too fast?"

Bella shook her head which also made Edward's head move since it was still resting on hers. Laughing, she said, "I've been alone for so long. I know how to be me. I know how to be and do everything on my own. I felt like my life was full, and I was completely content with life before you. But now that I have you, I want to share everything with you. Everything is better because of you."

"I love you," Edward whispered.

"I love you too," Bella said just as quietly. Their moment was ruined when Bella's stomach growled. Tipping her head forward, she buried her face in Edward's chest. "Oh my god that was embarrassing."

Laughing, Edward just hugged Bella to him tightly. "Bella, you could probably fart in front me, and I wouldn't care."

"Oh my god, no!" Bella said emphatically. "I'm sorry. That's just...No. Please, Edward. Please promise me that we won't be one of those couples that go to the bathroom with the door open. Sharing bathroom business is not a level of intimacy for me. It's just not."

That just made Edward laugh more. He hugged her tighter and kissed her hair. "I promise that I will not pee when you're in the shower, and I will not take a shit in front of you. Not ever. However, I would still like to keep joint showers on the table.

Pulling back, Bella looked at Edward and said firmly, "Oh yes. Shower sharing and shower sex, tub sex, and even sink counter sex is definitely still on the table."

"I swear to God, you're the most awesome girlfriend ever," Edward said in awe.

Bella smiled as her stomach growled again. "Ugh, dammit. I wish it wouldn't do that so loudly!"

"We did work up quite an appetite, Sweetheart," Edward said with a smug smile. "What do you want to do for dinner?"

Bella shrugged her shoulders and took a deep breath. "What can we do? We told Embry and Quil that we'd stay in, and Emily and Sam don't get here until tomorrow."

"You're right," Edward said. Growling, he said, "This fucking feels like house arrest sometimes. It's annoying."

Bella thought for a second. "I'm sure Zafrina left me some food in the refrigerator that we can heat up. If not, it's probably full with stuff I can cook for dinner."

Fifteen minutes later, Edward and Bella were curled up in the living room. They each had a bowl of Zafrina's killer Rice and Beans, and there was a big bag of tortilla chips and a huge bowl of homemade salsa on the coffee table. They had the television on, but it was more for background noise, as neither of them were really paying attention to it.

Edward had taken two huge bites and was making borderline pornographic noises as he ate. Bella watched in amazement and tried to contain her laughter. "Does your mom know you make those sounds when you eat?"

"You think this is bad?" Edward asked. "You should hear Emmett when he eats. He sounds like some kind of wildebeest in heat."

"That's animal mating sounds," Bella said rationally. "You sound like a porn star."

Edward stopped eating and put his spoon back in his bowl. "And how would you know what a porn star sounds like?"

Bella rolled her eyes. "Because I've watched porn."

Edward's mouth gaped open and shut a couple times before sound actually came out. "You watch porn?"

"Yeah," Bella said nonchalantly. "My ex-boyfriend was really into it. He thought it would spice up our sex life, but it didn't really do anything for me. Porn is a very male-oriented production. The women are definitely the better looking ones, and the men are not casted for their looks. They're cast for their equipment, and not even all those are very impressive."

All he could do is stare. He didn't expect that his girlfriend would have this much to say about porn.

"Besides a girl can tell when another girl is faking it," Bella said as she took another bite of her dinner. "And most of those girls are faking it. And it's kind of a turnoff when the guy goes to squeeze a boob and you can clearly see the implant."

As delicious as Zafrina's rice and beans were, dinner for Edward had been forgotten. He just sat there staring at Bella trying to think of what to say.

"What?" Bella asked innocently. "You've never watched porn?"

"I have," Edward said slowly. "I haven't in a really long time, and it was never really something I was totally into because it didn't do that much for me. I know men are visual creatures, but I prefer to have the real thing. I'd rather do without than have to watch other people go at it."

"Have you been to the Playboy Mansion?" Bella asked curiously. She'd always heard the rumors about Hollywood, but she always thought that most of it was false. It was all part of the show, and she wanted to know more about Edward's Hollywood Reality.

"No," Edward laughed as he resumed eating. Bella continuously amazed him. To his knowledge, there were girls that were totally into porn, and then there were girls who were utterly offended by it. Bella didn't seem to be either. The whole conversation didn't even phase her. It rolled right off her like it was nothing. "In my younger days, I was invited to go, but I never went. I didn't want to get caught up in that scene. I knew that if I started hanging out with the wrong crowd, it would get hard for me to get out and distinguish myself from all the extracurricular activities. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to be known for my career and my work, not my ability to party. There's a difference between being famous and being infamous. That kind of fame never appealed to me."

"Is that why you never did the clubbing thing?" Bella asked as she reached for her beer.

Nodding, Edward said, "I get invited, but there's no point in going. People who go only do it to be seen. Most of the club promoters will pay for an A-lister to just show up because it means more press for their place. That never appealed to me. Most of the people that do those things need the money and the attention to boost their careers."

"Kate and Garrett never made you go?" Bella asked. She was glad that he wasn't a fame whore, as she didn't want to get dragged into that lifestyle.

"No," Edward said firmly. "The reason why I hired them is because they believed in me for my talent, not my looks or my marketability. They thought I could be something in this industry, and they were willing to stick by me."

They continued to talk more about their careers, their paths before they met each other, and their personal journeys. Before they knew it, it was almost midnight. As they made their way back up to Bella's bedroom, Edward said softly, "I'm sorry you didn't get any real work done today. I know you usually like to get a block of writing in every day."

Bella stopped and stood on the stair above Edward. Turning around, she put her hands on his shoulders. Even though she was one step higher, she was still shorter than him. "I deserve a day off every once in a while too, and I can't think of a better way to spend my day than with you."

Edward smiled and put his hands on her hips. Hoisting her up, he felt her legs wrap around his waist. Carrying her the rest of the way to her bedroom, he asked, "So what's on the schedule for tomorrow?"

"I have to stop by the Center in the morning to check-in," Bella said. "Do you want to come? You can see what we do and meet some of the kids if you want."

"I'd love that," Edward said. He knew that the Centers meant a lot to Bella, and she was always so passionate when she talked about them. He wanted to know that part of her, and he wanted to see the work that she did. "What else do you have to do?"

"Nothing," Bella said. Smiling mischievously, she said, "Why? Do you want to do some cliché Hollywood couple things?"

"Like what?" Edward said laughing as he set her down on the bathroom counter.

"We could go shopping for artwork. Or we could go to Whole Foods. Everyone goes to Whole Foods," Bella said. "Oh, or we could go hiking with our dogs."

"We don't have dogs," Edward said knowing that Bella was being completely facetious.

"We could rent them," Bella said matter-of-factly. "Or we could go and exercise at Venice Beach or drive down to Malibu and run along the shore. You know be all Matthew McConaughey like."

"That would mean that I wouldn't be able to shower or wear deodorant," Edward said knowing how stringent Bella was on personal hygiene.

Scrunching up her nose, Bella said, "Really? That's true about him not being the most hygienic?"

"You mean does he stink?" Edward asked. When Bella nodded, he laughed. "Yeah, dude straight up smells. It's pretty foul."

"Okay, maybe like Zac Efron then," Bella said with a nod of her head.

Putting down his toothbrush that he just picked up, he turned to Bella. "Wait a minute. Why do you know all of these male celebrities that exercise on the beach without their shirts on?"

"I've read People Magazine when I wait at the doctor's office or the dentist office," Bella said, shrugging her shoulders. Smirking, she met his eyes in the mirror and asked, "Why, are you jealous?"

"No," Edward said. "I'm way fucking hotter than they are."

Bella just laughed and smacked him on the ass. "Yeah you are, Baby."

Edward's eyebrows raised as he said, "Ooohhh, I kinda like that."

"What? The ass smacking or calling you Baby?" Bella asked as she watched Edward's eyes twinkle.

"Both," Edward said after a second of thought.

"Okay, I'll show you my Red Room tomorrow then," Bella said with mock finality.

"No fucking way," Edward said as he turned to face Bella. When she started laughing, he said, "Okay, I knew you had to be joking."

"Why? You don't think I can be a dominatrix?" Bella said with a fake pout, as she pretended to be offended.

"I think you can be anything you want to be," Edward said. "But I just don't see you as a chains and whips kind of girl."

"Nah," Bella said. "I'm more of a silk tie and blindfold kind of girl."

With that, Edward picked up his toothbrush and started brushing his teeth with fervor. When Bella just watched him in amusement, he gestured for her to brush hers as well. With a mouth full of toothpaste, he mumbled, "Get a move on. I happen to have a silk tie in my garment bag, and I'm going to find that blindfold of yours. You're in for it now, Bella."


	21. Chapter 21

#Belward – Chapter 21

It was one of the most amazing pieces of artwork Edward had ever seen. There in the middle of the lobby at Bella's Art Center stood a huge mural. It was slightly reminiscent of something Andy Warhol would have done, but it was more contemporary and far more satirical. Edward just stood there as he looked at the 12 foot by 12 foot piece. It was completely filled with pages from People Magazine, Us Magazine, and In Touch Magazine. The paparazzi images were washed over with different colors and in the center, there were big white words that read, "Why do you care? You know who they are. Do you know who you are?"

 _So this is how Bella knew all about the celebrities and the cliché Hollywood life_ , Edward thought to himself. He'd been walking around the Center's huge lobby for about 45 minutes. It was designed to look like an art gallery and it featured different mediums of art that highlighted the students' various talents and interests, and Edward was utterly impressed.

He wandered over to the flat screen display that was showing what looked like a short film. Putting on the wireless headphones on the podium in front of the screen he got lost. The story was poignant and moving. The teenagers were impossibly convincing in their roles, and the cinematography was mature and artfully presented.

By the time the credits were rolling, Edward noticed that Bella had come to stand next to him. When he met her eyes, he noticed tears. Wiping one away, he said, "Hey, what's wrong?"

"It's sad isn't it? The story," Bella said. Blinking back the rest of the tears, she said, "Sunny wrote this because it was cathartic for her. It said everything that she couldn't say on her own. She's amazing."

Edward nodded and looked around at the lobby. "Everything in here is amazing. I didn't know that there was so much young talent. I had no idea. These kids can do stuff that I can't do."

Bella smiled and nodded. "I wish I had half of the talent and skill that these kids do. This is why I travel every week. I want to check in on them to make sure that we're doing all that we can for them. I want to know if there's more that we can do that we haven't done yet. I want to know them. They're so incredibly amazing, and I want to know their stories. I want to know who they are. They inspire me to try to be better at what I do. They push me to be more creative."

"What happens to them? Where do they go?" Edward asked. He saw some of the kids walking through the lobby and nodded hello when they waved to Bella.

"Some go on to college, art schools, trade schools. We've gotten a couple kids into Julliard. Others choose to dive into their crafts and try to get scouted or picked up by agents," Bella said as she looked around. When she looked at each piece, she saw the student that created it, and it warmed her heart to know that they were able to help these kids.

Edward turned back to the screen and watched as the short film started to play again. "Where is Sunny?"

"She's preparing for her senior year in high school," Bella said smiling. "Unbelievable, huh? She's only 17, and she did all that one her own."

Edward shrugged. "You published your first book at fifteen. I think you can understand how it feels to be so talented at such a young age."

Bella blushed and looked down just as she heard her name being called. She turned her head toward the door and saw a blur of black and purple rushing towards her. Wrapping her arms around the warm body that smashed against her, she recognized Sunny immediately and hugged her tightly. "Hey Sun. I didn't know you'd be here today."

"Jared said you'd be in today, so I caught the bus over," Sunny said hugging Bella with all her strength. "I wanted to ask you if it would be okay to send you my new screenplay. It's just a short one, but I finished it last week. I know you're super busy with everything, but I know you'll be honest with me."

Bella looked over Sunny's head to Edward and met his eyes. Raising her eyebrows in question, Edward answered with a warm smile and small nod. "I'd be more than happy to read your screenplay, Sunny. But I can do one better if you want."

Sunny looked up at Bella with curious eyes. When Bella gestured behind her, Sunny followed with her eyes. That's when she saw THE Edward Cullen standing behind her. "Oh my god. It's true?"

Laughing, Bella nodded. "Sunny, this is my boyfriend, Edward Cullen. Edward, this is Sunny Lee."

Edward extended his hand and said, "It's an honor to meet you, Sunny. I just watched your film, and I think it's incredible."

Sunny reached her shaky hand out and shook Edward's softly. "You- You did? You saw my film? You think it's good? You really do? You don't have to lie just because you don't want to hurt my feelings. You can be honest with me."

"I honestly think that your short film was one of the best I've seen in a while," Edward said. Looking up at the screen where the silent images were playing, he said, "I think you have a gift. What do you want to do with it?"

Clasping her hands in front of her, Sunny looked down at her Chucks and said quietly, "I want to tell stories and turn them into movies. I like the visual aspect of storytelling through film. I didn't have a lot of friends to act in this one, so I had to be the main character. I know I probably didn't do a great job at the acting part. That was a new thing for me. I'm better at writing."

Edward's eyebrows raised quickly. "Sunny, you gave an impeccable performance. I didn't realize that acting wasn't your intent when you put this together."

Shaking her head, Sunny said, "No. I acted because I wanted to make the story real. I was kind of afraid I'd mess the whole thing up by being in it."

Running his hand through his hair, Edward looked at Bella who still had her arm around Sunny's waist. By the look in Bella's eyes, he knew that she could feel the same insecurity, fear, and hurt coming off of Sunny. She wasn't used to being told that she could do a good job. "I thought everything you did from the writing to the acting to the directing was very well done. I'd be honored if you'd let me read what you send Bella."

"Really?" Sunny asked looking up in awe. Her gaze shifted quickly between Edward and Bella's smiling faces. "You want to read something I wrote?"

"I'd love to," Edward said with a smile.

"This is the greatest day ever," Sunny mumbled to herself, as Edward and Bella shared a smile over her head.

Three hours later, Edward and Bella got back into the car with Embry and Quil. When they began to pull away from the Center, Bella turned to Edward. "Thank you for coming with me today. I know you were just curious, but so many of the kids were so thrilled to see you and meet you. It was such a treat for them."

Reaching over, Edward took Bella's hand and squeezed. "What you do for those kids is absolutely amazing. I'm just in awe of everything they do, and it's astounding that you have been able to create an environment for them where they're free to express their creativity. I'm just blown away."

Bella just shrugged her shoulders. "When I started this, I didn't know what I was doing. I had no idea that this is what the Center would become, but it's taken on a life of its own. I love it, and it's one of the things I'm most proud of. I'm glad I got to share it with you."

"Will you let me be a part of it?" Edward asked hesitantly. He didn't want to impose or encroach on something she loved so much, but after meeting those kids and seeing their talent, he desperately wanted to help in any way she'd let him.

"Of course," Bella said in shock. "What do you want to do?"

"I don't know," Edward said in honesty. "I just want to help. I didn't say anything at the time because I didn't want to get her hopes up, but can I bring Kate and Garrett back here to see Sunny's film? I think they can help her."

"You would do that?" Bella asked. "I don't want you to feel like I'm using you for connections to help the students or the Center."

"I'm offering, Bella," Edward said gently. "I want to do this. Kate and Garrett will love it at the Center."

The smile that Bella gave Edward was worth more than anything in the world. He couldn't believe that he'd gotten so lucky to find a woman that had a heart as big as hers. She did amazing things and didn't ask for anything in return. She was capable of so much and was so incredibly independent that whenever she let him help or contribute to her life, it made him feel like a superhero.

#####

"Are you serious?" Bella asked. She saw it as soon as she walked in the door, and she couldn't take her eyes off of it. Stepping closer to it, she stuck her hand out and poked it. Hitting the solid mass, she nodded. "Yup. It's real."

"What?" Edward asked as he came to stand behind her. "Isn't it awesome?"

"Awesome isn't really the word that immediately comes to mind," Bella mumbled as she continued to stare that the life-size replica of Captain America that was sandwiched between the rest of the Avengers. Looking around the room, she saw what half looked like the Marvel Universe had come to life. The other half looked like a Trekkie convention threw up.

Edward shrugged his shoulders and walked over to the huge beanbag chair that he had in the center of the room. Plopping himself down in the middle of it, he leaned back and looked at his collection. "I'm a boy. I need my toys. Welcome to my toy room."

Looking up and down at the six foot statue in front of her, Bella said, "This is a toy? This is a plastic man."

"Boy toys are different than girl toys," Edward said with simple finality.

"I'm sure that certain plastic men are actually girl toys," Embry said as he came into the room.

"No, those are just silicone male parts," Bella said as she continued to look at the shelves that lined the walls. They were filled with comics, action figures, even signed screenplays from the Star Trek movies.

"Do you have one of those too?" Edward said as he tried to sit up unsuccessfully in his bean bag chair.

Bella just laughed at Edward as he fought with his chair. "That's for me to know."

"And me to find out," Edward said as he continued to struggle. "Fucking chair!"

"Your house is the epitome of man cave," Bella said. She'd wanted to see where he lived, so she had a better sense of who he was as a person. Edward had given her the grand tour, and Bella had to laugh. It was a nice house, but it was a man house. All of the furniture was masculine, and all of the emphasis was on toys. He had one whole room filled with different video game consoles, and then there was the geek museum/library she was currently standing in.

When Edward had finally given up trying to get out of the bean bag, Bella walked over and sat in his lap. Gesturing around the room, she asked, "So, when you move to New York, is all this stuff coming with you? Or are you going to keep it here?"

"I don't know. Your condo isn't that big," Edward said as he thought about it.

"We have time. I can ask the tenants downstairs if they'd be willing to relocate to another unit, and we can create a man cave for you downstairs," Bella said easily.

"Really? You can do that?" Edward asked.

"Of course," Bella said. "They'd be given months of advance notice, and I'd offer them a relocation fee. Ben would take care of the rest. He's the realtor. He can make anything happen."

"Cool," Edward said. Looking around, he said, "Maybe just the Game Room can move to New York. I think I want to keep this stuff here. I don't want to deal with the hassle of moving the Avengers."

Clearing his throat, Embry said, "Hello? Remember me? Anybody planning to tell me that we're moving?"

"Oh, yeah," Edward said. Looking at Embry, he said, "After Paris we're moving to New York for good."

"Fucking finally," Embry said. "Maria's been waiting for you to get tired of Tinsel Town. She's going to be so excited to be back with her family. Then she's going to start on about having one of our own."

While Bella smiled at the thought of Embry having his own family, Edward's eyebrows shot up. "Who the hell is going to let you breed?"

#####

Even though it was still early in the evening, Edward was worried about Bella. When he woke up that morning, Bella's side of the bed had been cold. After a short search through the house, he found her in her writing room. The music was on, and she had been sitting at her computer typing furiously. When she joined him in the kitchen an hour later, he learned that she'd woken up at three with inspiration to write.

When they got home from his house, she'd felt the urge to write and had locked herself in her room for another few hours. He knew that she hadn't written anything at all the day before, and that was a rare occurrence to her. But he didn't want her to overexert herself. Sam and Emily were due in a few minutes, and Bella was still locked in her room with the music blasting.

Zafrina found Edward hovering outside of Bella's writing room. He was pacing outside the door looking back and forth at his watch. Pausing in the hallway, Zafrina laughed quietly at Edward. Walking closer, she said, "It's okay to interrupt her when she's writing. Sometimes you have to because she loses all sense of time when she's in there. 'Just knock. She won't be mad."

Edward smiled sheepishly at Zafrina and thanked her. He'd only had a few conversations with her in the couple of days that he'd been at Bella's house. Zafrina and her family lived in the pool house and cared for Bella's home and garden. They were all very kind, and Edward was happy that Bella had surrounded herself with people who were extensions of her family.

Raising his fist, Edward knocked quietly on the door and opened it a crack. The music poured out of the room, and Edward saw that Bella was still furiously typing away at her computer. Smiling, he leaned against the door frame and watched her for a few more moments. Knowing that Sam and Emily would be there any second, he pushed away from the doorway and walked over to stand next to Bella's desk.

When Edward got to the corner of her desk, Bella gasped and looked at the clock. "Holy shit! I'm sorry! I completely lost track of time. Are they here?"

"Not yet, but they will be any second," Edward said as he watched Bella save her work and shut down her computer.

Bella ran her hand through her hair. Looking at Edward, she asked, "Do I look okay? Should I go change? What am I supposed to wear when I meet my new shadows? I'm not really sure what to expect."

Stepping closer so he was in front of her, Edward placed his hands on her arms and squeezed. "Bella, you look beautiful. A little flushed and flustered, but still beautiful. Sam and Emily will report to you in a fashion similar to Embry. There's no doubt that eventually, Sam and Emily will see you without make-up, in your pajamas, and sick to your stomach. It's their job. Best to get comfortable with them now."

Sighing, Bella tipped her head forward and rest it in the center of Edward's chest. "I still don't like this. I accept it, but I don't like it."

Wrapping his arms around her, Edward placed a kiss on Bella's head. "I know, Bella. Thank you for doing this for me and for us."

A soft knock sounded behind them.

"Sam and Emily are here, Bella," Zafrina said with a smile. "He's pretty hunky. Thanks for all the man candy lately, Bell."

While Bella laughed, Edward looked at Bella. "Wait a minute. I don't want some hunky guy around you all the time."

"Sam and Emily are married, Edward," Bella said, rolling her eyes and walking out of the room. She couldn't deny that she was happy that Edward could be jealous, even if it was completely unwarranted. She wanted to be wanted, and she wanted Edward to need her the way that she needed him.

"But still. He's…hunky," Edward said with a grimace in his voice as he followed her.

Before they entered the living room, Bella turned around and backed Edward into the wall. Pressing her body against his, effectively trapping him, Bella shoved her hands into his back pockets and squeezed her boyfriend's yummy behind. "Sam might be hunky, but you're the only one that sets me on fire. I promise you, Edward. No one will ever touch me except for you. I'm yours and yours only."

"Damn right," Edward said leaning down to kiss his woman.

As easy as it was to get carried away, they both pulled back after a quick peck. Walking hand in hand into the living room, they greeted Sam and Emily. While Edward expected Sam to step forward and extend his hand first, he was pleasantly surprised when Emily stepped towards Bella with her hand outstretched.

"I'm Emily Uley," she said with a strong voice. Emily's voice had a slightly lower register to it for a female, but it had a feminine cadence to it.

Smiling, Bella shook Emily's hand. What she loved was that Emily had a firm grip on her hand and shook it with confidence. "I'm Bella. It's nice to meet you."

Sam stepped forward and introduced himself next. Once all of the introductions were done, the two couples sat in the living room. Zafrina brought in some iced tea, and the two got to know each other. Bella was thrilled that the conversation didn't go off like a job interview. She'd already selected Emily and Sam, and she wanted to be comfortable with them since she was going to have to spend so much time with them.

As they got to know each other, they were pleased to find that Edward and Sam shared an affinity for baseball and the Avengers, while Emily and Bella bonded over their love of food and kick boxing.

"You kick box?" Edward asked turning to Bella.

Nodding, Bella said, "Yeah. I train at Aterra Athletics when I'm in New York. Paul kicks my ass every time, but I'm getting closer to beating him."

Smiling, Emily said, "I got you, Bella. Paul is a guy. He's teaching you to move like a guy. I'll teach you what will feel more natural to you."

This made Edward happy because he knew that it would mean that Bella could protect herself when he wasn't with her. Knowing that he was going to be away from her for so long worried him. He knew that he was going to miss her like crazy, but at least he could rest assured that Bella was going to be in good hands and safe with Sam and Emily.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Emily looked at Edward with a serious look in her eyes. "Edward, I've been briefed by Jasper and Embry, but I want to know from your side. Is there any one in your life, paparazzi or stalker fan, that I need to be aware of? This person doesn't even need to have actually caused a problem. I want to know if there's anyone who's made the hair on the back of your neck stand up. At this point, anyone that is a potential threat to you is a potential threat to Bella."

Edward thought for several moments before shaking his head. "Honestly, I can't really think of anyone. I live a pretty quiet life, so there's not much for people to pounce on. This is really the first time that I've done anything other than act, so I don't really know what to expect to tell you the truth."

Emily nodded. "Okay. Well, I'll keep in contact regularly with Embry and Jasper about how you're doing and if there are any changes with you. I want you both to trust us. Sam and I will keep Bella safe. Jasper shared that you' re not too fond of us following your every move, Bella. But I promise we will make this as bearable as we can. You just have to promise me that you won't do anything to compromise your security. I can't keep you safe if you don't let me. Trust me to do my job."

"I trust you," Bella said. "I can't promise that this will be an easy adjustment, but I'll try. Can I ask for one favor?"

"You can ask," Emily said simply. "I can't promise to be able to fulfill it if it leaves you open to potential threats."

"Will you teach me to shoot?" Bella asked. Her question left Edward with his mouth hanging open in shock.

"I can teach you, Bella, but why do you want to learn that? Do you feel like you'll need to protect yourself to that extent?" Emily asked.

"No," Bella said definitively. "Talking to you, I'm getting inspired for another heroine. I want to know what it's like to do some of the things you do, so I can write her better."

"Oh, well, okay," Emily said. She hadn't expected that response, and she was a little surprised and flustered at the thought of being related to one of Bella's characters.

"Can we do that before I leave for France?" Edward asked once he regained his faculties.

"Why?" Bella asked. Glancing at Sam, he saw that Sam was smirking. "What?"

"The thought of you shooting a dangerous weapon gets his blood flowing," Sam explained. Looking at Edward, he said, "Trust me, Edward. There's nothing hotter than your woman handling a weapon."

Bella looked at Emily and saw that she was smirking. "That good?"

Emily nodded. "You have no idea."

She thought for a second before nodding. "I'll clear my schedule tomorrow morning."


	22. Chapter 22

#Belward – Chapter 22

Every day, the frenzy got a little worse. Each time Edward and Bella went out, more photos would appear online of their date. People seemed to be fascinated by Hollywood's newest love story, and everyone wanted a piece of it. Every news outlet had asked for an exclusive interview and photo shoot, and so far Bella and Edward hadn't granted a single one. They each maintained that they would only do interviews when it pertained to their work.

Photos of them were becoming a prized commodity as their stock as a couple went up. The paparazzi had figured out where Bella lived, and it looked like a small camp ground outside her front gate. When they left LA, the paps followed them to Seattle. Even when they returned to New York, the suckers still followed. It helped that Bella had her own private plane because it was harder for the paps to track them.

Even though there were moments when she was tempted, Bella never trolled the internet to look at what people were saying about them. She had been told by numerous people that #Belward was constantly trending, but she didn't want to know the specifics. It was already weird that she constantly had cell phone cameras pointed at her when she was out. In a matter of a few weeks her anonymity was gone.

The night before Edward left for France, he sat on Bella's bed and watched her as she washed up for the night. When she walked out of the bathroom, he held his hand out to her. When she placed her hand in his, he drew her to stand in front of him between his legs. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he closed his eyes and rest his head in her midsection.

Bella could feel Edward's warm breath on her stomach. Running her fingers through his newly cut hair, she sighed. "I miss the long, unruly hair."

"My head feels naked," Edward said of his crew cut. Squeezing Bella tighter, he said softly, "I'm going to miss you so much."

Bella tried to say that she was going to miss him too, but her voice got caught in her throat behind her tears. She kept telling herself that she wouldn't cry because she didn't want him to feel bad. She knew it was going to be just as hard on Edward as it was going to be for her, and she didn't want to make it worse by crying.

Hearing Bella's strangled response, Edward scooted back on the bed and brought Bella with him. As he sat in the middle of the bed, she straddled his lap. With Bella tucked against his chest and under his chin, Edward closed his eyes and just memorized the feel of her body against his.

"It's just two months," Bella said mostly to herself.

"Actually, it's 58 days until you meet me in Paris," Edward said quietly. He'd started a Bella calendar in his phone and counted the days.

"1,392 hours," Bella mumbled.

"You did the math that fast?" Edward asked in shock.

Bella laughed softly. "No. I counted and calculated yesterday. I suck at math."

"I don't want to spend my last night with you being sad," Edward said with a sigh. "Talk to me about something else. Distract me, so I won't think about it."

Bella thought for a second before she leaned back to look at his face. "Jacob told me something interesting today. He said that there are people out there that are getting tattoos of us."

"What? Real tattoos?" Edward asked. "Where? Wait, I don't want to know where. Just what. I only want to know what. Not where. Please don't tell me where."

"He said that there's a Belward Fandom rising, and people are getting the hashtag tattooed to show their undying support," Bella said. "Apparently they 'ship' us."

"They shit us?" Edward asked clearly confused.

Laughing, Bella shook her head. "No. SHIP, like s-h-i-p. Like boat, but it doesn't mean boat."

"Well what the fuck does that mean? And why would it make them tattoo themselves?" Edward asked. It was moments like this one that made him miss his hair. There was nothing to run his hand through in frustration anymore, so he resorted to pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I don't know why it would make them tattoo themselves. There's nothing that would make me tattoo a hashtag on my body," Bella said in utter confusion. "Jacob said that ship is like the shortened version of romantic relationship. When someone says they ship us it means they support our relationship."

"I still don't get it," Edward mumbled. Leaning back on the bed, he brought Bella down with him, so she was lying on his chest. "You know, when I decided that I wanted to be an actor, I never once, not one single time, said that I wanted to be hashtag."

"Well, to be real, Edward, hashtags didn't exist that long ago," Bella said seriously.

Quickly, Edward flipped them over so she was on her back on the bed and he was hovering over her. "Are you calling me old?"

"Yeah, kind of," Bella said laughing. "Come on, Edward, when we were first starting out in our respective industries, social media didn't exist yet. I don't even remember if Google existed. I think it was still the world according to AOL."

"Geez," Edward said shaking his head. "Those were the days before even reality television."

"That's right. Night time television actually had quality shows, not just reality tv with people trying to get famous," Bella said as she thought back.

Laughing, Edward leaned a little closer to Bella, "You sure you don't want to reconsider all those offers Jacob presented you with yesterday?"

Scoffing, Bella said, "Hell no. I am not going to be on the Real Housewives of anything."

"Why not? Some women would kill for that opportunity, Bella," Edward said smirking. He knew that the offer just got under Bella's skin.

"I am not a fucking housewife," Bella said with indignation. "First of all, we're not married. Second of all, I have a shit ton of jobs. I'm not a housewife. And thirdly, how dare those blood sucking bastards think that they can make money off the hashtag like that."

As Edward laughed, Bella continued, "Besides, real housewives work a hell of a lot harder than those spoiled women. Real women don't have housekeepers and nannies. They do everything themselves, and they deserve more credit than to be associated with those women that just shop, complain, and gossip."

"Well, you know, when we get married," Edward started.

"When? Not if?" Bella interrupted.

Edward shifted his body a little, so Bella was firmly tucked underneath him. Clearing his throat, he lowered his head so his nose touched hers lightly. "Yes, when, not if we get married, I could be a house-husband."

Laughing, Bella said, "Yes, you could. Is that what you aspire to be?"

The fact that she hadn't disagreed with him on the getting married part of the conversation made Edward feel like he'd won the lottery. Smiling brightly, he buried his face in the crook of her neck and started kissing a trail from her shoulder up to her ear. "I aspire to nothing more than spending the rest of my days with you."

Sighing in contentment, Bella mumbled, "I have to admit that all of those rom coms that you've been in have turned you into one hell of a sweet talker, Edward Cullen."

"Are you complaining, Bella Swan?" Edward asked. When he reached her earlobe, he grazed his teeth over it gently before sucking it into his mouth.

"Not at all," Bella said as she slid her hands beneath his shirt. Gliding her fingers over the muscles in his back, Bella hummed. "I wish we could stay like this forever."

Because he knew that he didn't have an answer that would make either of them happy, Edward didn't say anything. Instead, he looked into Bella's eyes and kissed her. And he kept kissing her until he'd successfully distracted them both from the inevitable.

#####

The next day, Bella didn't go to the airport with Edward to say goodbye. She didn't want to bait the paparazzi further, and she wanted to keep her tears to herself. The world didn't need to see her sad and crying. There was no such thing as pretty crying, and knowing that her tear-stained face would be plastered to the front of supermarket tabloids only made the whole thing more torturous.

Instead, Edward and Bella kept their goodbye private. He insisted that she stay upstairs and not come down to the lobby to walk him to the car. He wanted her to stay away from prying eyes, and Edward knew that seeing her cry would make him sad too.

As he stood in front of the door way hugging Bella to him, he could feel her tears soaking through his shirt. Squeezing her tightly, they swayed back and forth slightly. At the soft knock on the door, Edward knew that was Embry telling him that it was time to go. Groaning softly, Edward squeezed Bella even tighter.

Slowly, Edward placed his hands on Bella's cheeks to lift her face to his. Even though he expected it, the red-rimmed, tear filled eyes still broke his heart. Bella was trying so hard not to openly sob that her lips were trembling. Resting his forehead on hers, Edward closed his eyes and kissed his girl firmly on the lips.

"I love you," Edward said softly. "I'm going to love you every second that we're apart, and I will miss you with every fiber of my being. You're my world and my life, Bella Swan."

"Love you," Bella whispered, as the front door opened.

Embry stepped forward and grabbed Edward's suitcase. After giving Bella a fist bump, he stepped forward and kissed her forehead. "Don't worry, Bella. I'll keep your boy safe."

"You better," Bella said without removing herself from Edward's arms. "Emily's been teaching me things. I can beat your ass now."

Embry just laughed. "I bet you can GI Jane. I'm sorry I have to interrupt, but we need to get going to make our flight."

"I hate you, Embry," Bella said with the biggest, bravest smile she could muster.

"I love you too, Bella," Embry said as he wheeled Edward's suitcase out the door. Just as the door was about to close, Alice, Rosalie, Vanessa, Angela, and Maria walked in to Bella's living room.

Holding her arms outstretched, Rosalie said softly, "Hand her over, Lover Boy."

With one last kiss, Edward transferred Bella from his arms to those of his sisters and her friends. As he stepped into the elevator, Embry said, "There's a pretty decent sized crowd downstairs surrounding the car."

Edward just nodded. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Keep those fuckers away from me. I'm itching for an excuse to lay someone on their ass today, and Kate would be pissed off if I ended up getting sued for assault."

"You got it," Embry said. He could tell that Edward was upset, and he hadn't seen his friend this emotional in a very long time. Although Edward could have a fiery temper at times, he was pretty even keeled most of the time. Rarely did he see Edward down or depressed, and today, it just felt like someone died.

When they got to the lobby, Embry was happy to see that Emily, Sam and the doormen had kept the paps outside on the sidewalk. As soon as the door opened, the cacophony of sound hit them like a brick wall.

"Edward, where's Bella?"

"Where are you going? Why are you alone?"

"What's Bella doing?"

"Do you live here now?"

"Edward, look this way."

"Give us a smile."

Clenching his fists, Edward shoved his hands in his pockets and walked straight to the car. He didn't make eye contact with anyone, and he didn't look in anyone's direction. He kept his eyes straight, and didn't falter in his steps. As soon as he got in the car, he sent Bella a quick text and put his earphones in his ears. Turning on the soothing sounds of Debussy, Edward closed his eyes and focused on the melody in his ears.

Back upstairs in the condo, Bella sat on the living room floor. Tanya had turned the living room into one gigantic fort filled with pillows, blankets, and comforters. Huddled against the sofa, Bella wrapped her favorite afghan around her shoulders. When Emily walked back in, she knew that meant that Edward had left.

Tanya was the last one to join the group. With her, she brought three huge boxes of pizza and a case of wine coolers.

Quirking her eyebrow, Bella asked, "What's up with the wine coolers, Tan?"

Shrugging, Tanya placed the chilled beverages in the center of the circle. "Seemed like a B&J kind of a day."

Sitting up, Rosalie pulled a bottle out. "Hell yeah. It's been at least a decade and a half since I've had one of these babies."

"Why do they call it a Fuzzy Navel?" Vanessa asked, as she popped the top off of one of the bottles. "It smells good, but it just doesn't sound right."

"Maybe because it makes your brain feel fuzzy if you drink too many?" Angela offered as she opened one of the boxes of pizza.

"I would hope so," Rosalie said after taking a long sip. "Actual fuzzy navels aren't that sexy."

"Seriously," Emily said as she grabbed a slice of pepperoni pizza from the box. "There's a definite difference between a happy trail and a furry belly."

Laughing, Bella popped the top off of one of the wine coolers. "I think it's safe to say that none of our men have furry bellies. I don't think a single one of them is sporting a belly."

Clearing her throat, Tanya said, "Excuse me. Speak for yourself. I don't have a man, so don't lump me into this with you."

"You don't?" Alice asked in surprise. Tanya was gorgeous, and she was one of the nicest people Alice had ever met. It was a shock that she hadn't found someone to appreciate all of the great things about her.

"Nope. I've been single since my douchebag of a baby daddy up and left when he found out I was pregnant," Tanya said with a shrug of her shoulders. "I was playing around with the idea of signing up for Tinder or Bumble or something. Does that make me trashy?"

"No!" all the other girls yelled simultaneously.

"Get your phone. Let's sign you up now," Vanessa said. "We can go man shopping. That's way more fun than actual clothes shopping. No offense, Alice."

"None taken," Alice said. "I've heard some fun things about those apps, and I've always wanted to troll around just to see if unicorns really exist. But Jazz would probably ground me and take away my phone."

"Uh, yeah," Rose said looking at her sister-in-law. "Your husband is the security genius. He probably has a tracking device and surveillance in your phone. That man is all about you, and he would shoot any living thing that made him even remotely jealous. Intentional or not. When possessive Jasper comes out, it's pretty hot."

"It is," Alice said with a dreamy sigh.

Bella leaned over to Vanessa and asked quietly, "What's a unicorn?"

"The perfect male specimen that you can't catch," Vanessa said with a snicker. Bella spent half her time talking to teenagers, and she still didn't always recognize colloquialisms. It was endearing.

When Tanya sat back down with her phone, she dropped it in her lap and wiggled her fingers. "Let's see what kind of a unicorn catcher I am!"

#####

 **"Hi Sweetheart. Made it to Paris. Going straight to the shoot location. Apparently they rented me some kind of cottage in the country. Embry seems a little pissed off at the change from the Inn to the cottage."**

 _"Glad you made it safe. Is the cottage safe? If it's not safe, can you go back to the Inn? I don't like it if Embry doesn't like it."_

 **"We'll see. I think it'll be okay. Embry will just need to take a bit to check-it out before I officially move in for the next couple months. How are you doing?"**

 _"I'm okay. Still miss you like crazy, but I'm glad the girls came over. Emily, Angela, Alice, and Rosalie are still here. Tan and Ness went home to the kids."_

 **"Miss you like crazy too. I was happy that the girls showed up today to be there for you. I was a little worried. Where's Sam?"**

 _"Sam is in their condo downstairs. He said there's too much estrogen up here and to call him if we need him. I think he was afraid that in our wine cooler induced haze we would try to paint his nails or start talking about periods or something."_

 **"Lol. What did you do if you didn't paint each other's nails and talk about girl body processes?"**

 _"Girl body processes? It's called a period, Edward. It's completely normal."_

 **"For you. Normal for you."**

 _"Silly man. We drank a lot of wine coolers. Ate a lot of pizza. Went unicorn shopping. Watched movies. Ate cold pizza. Ate cream. Drank hot chocolate. Now we're fighting off food comas."_

 **"What the hell is unicorn shopping?"**

 _"We signed Tan up for these singles apps where she gets to meet other single men online. Unicorns are perfect partners that are too good to be true. You can never catch them because they're so perfect."_

 **"I must be a professional unicorn catcher. I have you."**


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: Wow! This story was voted into the Top Five Favorite Fic Dive stories for the month of May at ADF. Thank you! I also wanted to say thank you to all of you who are constructive and tactful in your criticism of the story. I don't expect everyone to love what I write. I'm realistic, and I would like to say thank you to everyone who refrains from being acerbic and overly critical. It's fiction. It's not meant to be real or taken too seriously. If anything that I write bothers you in any way, you have every freedom to simply push a button and read something else. I'm going to finish this story for those who enjoy it and those who have been supportive of my version of the characters. To those people, I'd like to say, again, thank you.

#####

Book tours were a love-hate thing for Bella. While she loved being able to share her stories with people, she also opened herself up to the masses. Every tour she took got bigger because her audience grew. She'd only been doing the tours for the last couple of years. In the past, she chose to hide behind her pen name and remain anonymous. But her team told her that she had to get out there to actually meet people. At some point, people would put two and two together to figure out that M. Dwyer was Isabella Swan. The more public activities she did for the foundation, the more "out there" she'd be for people to delve into her life.

The book tours went through different book shops around the world. Bella's favorites were always the small, independent bookshops where she got to meet the owners and their regular customers. She loved the nostalgic, homey feel of those bookstores. They just seemed to be more personal than the big box bookstores that most metropolitan cities had. That thought always made her feel like Meg Ryan in "You've Got Mail", and it made her laugh.

"F-O-X" Bella mumbled to herself, smiling as she walked into the large Barnes and Noble in Chicago.

"Talking to yourself again," Emily mumbled back to Bella. "You okay, Bella? Jake mentioned that this tour was a little more difficult for you because of the added presence of the press."

When Bella just sighed and didn't say anything, Emily stopped and turned Bella to face her. Luckily, they were still at the back of the store where no one could see them, and Sam's big body was blocking the two petite women from anyone's view down the aisle of books.

"Hey, seriously, you need to tell me if you can do this. There's nothing wrong with saying you need a day or two," Emily said. In the short time that she'd been working for Bella, she'd come to respect and admire the woman. She'd never met anyone that worked harder or had a bigger heart. Bella did everything so she could take care of people who needed help, and Emily had made it her personal mission to take care of Bella when Edward wasn't around.

Bella reached up and pushed her fingers into her temples. Closing her eyes for a few seconds, she breathed in through her nose and out softly through her mouth. "I'm okay. I can do this. It's just different this time around. I expected a change, but I didn't realize that it would be such a drastic one. I'm used to people thinking that they know my characters, but now people think they know me. This is a kind of vulnerability that I wasn't quite prepared to handle. Maybe I was too naïve."

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Bella," Emily said softly. "No one can prepare themselves for the onslaught of celebrity, not even the people who want and crave it. Why do you think so many of them go off the deep end? At least you have people around you that love you and will protect you. Trust me. I will not let you flash your girly bits to any of the paps, or shave your head, or go around bashing cars with umbrellas. I got your back."

Just like Emily had wanted, Bella laughed. Throwing her head back, Bella looked up at the shelves of books and took a deep breath. Turning, she put her hands on the back of Sam's big shoulders. "Lead on my protectors. Let's get through this, so I can meet up with Esme to see the progress on the Center."

The first ten minutes of the signing went without incident. It was still strange when people would present her with their Nooks and Kindles to sign instead of actual books, but Bella knew that it was just a change of the times. In the past, most of the people who came to Bella's signings were women in their twenties to fifties, but this time the demographic seemed to be getting younger.

Bella looked in front of her to see a young girl with pretty brown hair. The girl seemed to be so excited that she was vibrating. Her eyes were a bit too wide, and she kept looking around at everything. Emily seemed to sense the same thing as Bella and shifted to stand a little closer to Bella's chair.

"Hi," Bella said gently. "What's your name?"

"I'm Bree. Bree Tanner," the girl said in a voice a little too high and in a cadence a little too fast. "Oh my god, I can't believe I'm meeting you! Will you really sign something for me?"

"Sure" Bella said. "Is this your first book signing?"

Bree started digging in her purse and pulled out a book. When it plopped down heavily on the table with a thud, Bella was surprised to see a 10"x10" glossy book titled, _All About Edward Cullen_. "This is literally the best day of my life. I totes can't believe it. It's like, I just can't. I can't even. OMG."

Bella's eyes went between the book and Bree. She looked at Emily for help only to have her friend shrug her shoulders in response. "Uh, Bree, is that what you want me to sign?"

"Of course," Bree said excitedly. "Will you sign it 'To Bree, thank you for being our number one fan. Love Always, Bella Cullen'?"

"Bree," Bella said gently. "I can sign the book for you, but my name isn't Bella Cullen. It's Bella Swan. I can't sign a name that isn't mine. I'm sorry."

"OMG!" Bree yelled, sending Emily and Sam on instant alert. "Did you two break up? If you did, I will die. I will literally die."

At that moment, every person standing around them pointed their phones at Bella to start recording. Suppressing her groan and unbelievable need to cuss a storm, Bella said as calmly as she could, "Bree, I'm still dating Edward, but we're not married."

"Really? Are you sure?" Bree asked with one hand on her hip and the other on the book. "Prove it then. Call him. Call him right now and let me hear his voice, so I know you're not lying."

"Bree, I'm not going to call Edward and interrupt him when he's busy just to prove a point to you. We don't have to prove anything to anyone," Bella said firmly. Her patience was waning fast, and she wasn't in the mood to indulge some school girl who thought she could manipulate her into calling Edward. "I can either sign your book as Bella Swan, or you can choose to leave. It's up to you."

"No!" Bree yelled with a stomp of her foot. "I demand that you call him right now and prove to me that you're still together. Call him!"

At that point, Emily put her hand on Bella's shoulder and walked around the table. Placing a hand on Bree's shoulder, she said firmly, "Grab your book, Bree. It's time to let the others in line have their turn."

When Bree started to protest, Emily's grip on her shoulder tightened. Knowing that Emily meant business, Bree glared at Bella and grabbed her book off the table. "I don't know why you're being such a bitch!"

As Emily escorted Bree out the door, Sam stepped a little closer to Bella and gave the young women who were standing behind Bree a warning glare.

Taking a deep breath, Bella looked up at the girls and said, "Hi. I'm sorry about that. What's your name?"

"I'm Candice," the next girl said. Pulling a book out of her bag, she slid it across the table for Bella to sign. "I only just started reading your books. I was surprised to find that I actually liked them."

Bella just smiled politely at the underhanded compliment when the girl standing behind Candice decided to add in, "Yeah, who would have thought that you could actually write? It makes it so much easier that we like what you do too."

Nodding her head, Bella took the book that Girl #2 handed her and nodded her head. "Well, I'm so glad that I've helped make your lives easier, ladies. Thank you for coming today."

The next few people in line were pleasant, and they were kind in the short conversations they had with Bella. When Bella handed back Gladys' book, she was assaulted by the stench way too much vanilla perfume. Looking up, Bella came face to face with more silicone than she'd ever seen. Forcing her eyes away from the fake tan in front of her, Bella looked up at a set of bleached white teeth. Bella's neck felt like it was craned too far back due to the sheer height of the girl in front of her. She must be wearing platform heels, Bella thought to herself. The girl must be at least 6'1".

"Hi Ms. Swan, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Venus," the platinum blonde said with her hand outstretched.

Taking her hand, Bella could feel Venus' long acrylic nails graze her wrists as she shook hands with the girl. "It's nice to meet you, Venus. Please call me Bella."

"Bella, I'm so glad I got in to see you. I was afraid the like would be too long and I wouldn't get my chance. I was wondering if I could give you something," Venus said. Before Bella, Emily, or Sam could say anything Venus turned around to dig in the bag that she had on the floor. As she bent over, her short skirt hiked up, and Bella experienced her first face to pussy meeting. Bella could hear Sam choking on his laughter, and Emily quickly walked around the table to grab Venus' bag.

"Here, let me help you," Emily said. Bella couldn't look at Emily because once she did, she knew she'd laugh too hard.

"Aw, thanks, you're so sweet," Venus said as she continued to dig through the monogrammed Louis Vuitton bag that Emily was holding. When she found what she was looking for, she held it out to Bella proudly.

Looking in the girls' hand, it was a pink rhinestone covered thumb drive. Bella looked at Venus and asked, "May I ask what's on the drive?"

"It's my audition footage," Venus said proudly.

Bella didn't bother to hide her confusion. "Audition footage for what? I'm sorry, Venus. Why are you giving that to me?"

"I want you to give it to Edward, so he can help me get a part in his next movie," Venus said with absolute certainty, as if what she was saying made the most sense in the whole world.

All Bella wanted to do was slam her head into the table in front of her. Instead, she womaned up and said firmly, "Venus, I think you should hold on to the drive and give it to someone who can actually help you. I can't help you the way that you want me to, and I think you should find the person that can help you achieve your dreams."

Immediately, Venus' bottom lip popped out into a pout. "Are you really not going to help me? I'm not trying to steal your man, Bella. I promise. I just want the chance to act with him."

"I believe you, Venus, but you have to believe me when I say that I don't have the pull you think I do. I'm sorry, but I can't help you," Bella said. "I wish you the best of luck."

Venus didn't say anything more. Her bottom lip started to quiver uncontrollably, and big crocodile tears started to fall from her eyes, leaving dark black make-up trails in their wake. After she packed up her things and walked out towards the exit, Emily stood in front of the remaining fans and informed them that Bella would only be signing a few more books for fans of her writing. Due to time constraints, she could only address people for the book signing. Out of respect to her actual fans ,anyone who could not comply with the rules would be escorted out immediately.

Bella was thrilled when there was a round of applause for Emily. By that point, she was worried that there would be an angry mob headed for Emily, but when the ladies calmed down and refocused they were able to finish the book signing without further incident.

Instead of going to a restaurant like they'd originally planned for lunch, Bella had Sam and Emily drop her off at the Center's site. Since it was a weekend, there was no one there. Bella was glad that she didn't need to wear a hard hat anymore when she came to visit. Since the walls and ceilings were closed, there were just wires that stuck out where Esme's lights would go.

Walking through the hallways, Bella made her way to the theater and sat down in the middle chair in the center row. Slouching down, she closed her eyes and laid her head back. With her eyes closed, she just listened to the silence that surrounded her. There was no one asking her asinine questions. No one asked her for a favor. No one yelled at her to look this way or that way. There were no more flashing lights from cameras. And thank the sweet lord, there were no more pussy sightings.

After a little while, Bella heard the door to the theater open, and soft steps walked towards her. When Bella felt the chair next to her get filled, she opened her eyes and came face to face with Esme's concerned smile.

"You didn't eat lunch," Esme said. It wasn't a question, as Emily and Sam had tattled when they saw Esme into the building.

"I needed peace and quiet more than I needed food after the signing," Bella said as she sat up and ran her hand through her hair. "I like what you've done so far. The colors make everything seem much more alive. Even if it's just paint and wallpaper, I think the kids will like it. White walls are too institutional sometimes, and I'm glad you get that."

"Is there anything you needed to show me or that you didn't like?" Esme asked. She could hear the fatigue in Bella's voice, and the mom in her wanted to whisk Bella away to take care of her. But she knew that Bella was like her son. Business and responsibilities came first.

"No. I like everything so far. I couldn't really visualize the swatches you gave me earlier. Although I liked them as swatches, I love them in real life," Bella said with a sigh. She knew that without a doubt the kids would love the new Center, and she was so glad that she could give this to them. Just like it had been a sanctuary for her in the last hour, she knew it would be for them in the coming months.

"Great. Then let's go," Esme said. Standing up, she held her hand out to Bella. "Business done. You're back to being my daughter. We need to feed you, and I promise we won't go out. I know you want to get away from the crowds and the noise. We'll go to my parent's house."

"Oh, but, uh, they don't know me," Bella stuttered.

Dismissing Bella's concern with a wave of her hand, Esme said, "Of course they do. They may not have met you, but Edward has told his Nan and his Pop all about you. I've told them, and I'm sure Alice and Rosalie also told them."

"Oh," Bella said. It had been such a day that she didn't know what else to say. Taking Esme's hand, she followed her out to the lobby where Emily and Sam were waiting. "Esme is going to take me back to her parent's house."

"Okay," Emily said. "We'll give you a ride, Mrs. Cullen."

"Thank you and call me Esme," she said.

When they were in the car, Esme took Bella's hand and squeezed. She didn't need to ask if Bella was okay because she knew the answer, and she knew that the greatest gift she could give Bella was quiet, calm, and family.

#####

It was four in the morning when Edward finally crawled into bed at the cottage. They'd pulled an all-nighter shooting a battle scene in the woods, and he was exhausted. But before he let himself go to sleep, he had to hear her voice. Picking up his phone, he called Bella. He decided not to use FaceTime because he didn't want her to see the fatigue etched on his face. That would only make her worry.

When Bella answered, it was music to his ears. "Hi Sweetheart. I missed you."

"Hi," Bella said. Looking at the clock on her computer, she added seven hours and realized what time it was in France. "Are you just waking up or just going to bed?"

"Just going to bed," Edward said. As much as he wanted to close his eyes and just take in the sound of her voice, he knew that if he did, he'd be snoring instead of talking. "The battle scene ran long. The director, Aro, was feeling his mojo and kept us long."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Bella said softly. "Are you okay? You sound beat."

"I am, but I won the war!" Edward said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster.

Laughing, Bella said, "Hey, I met your Nan and Pop today. I had a late lunch with them, and I ended up staying with them for dinner. I just got home a little over an hour ago."

"Really? I'm glad. I miss them," Edward said picturing his grandparents smiling faces in his head. That was the one thing about his job that he hated – being away from his family all the time.

"They miss you too," Bella said. Not wanting to make Edward sad, she said, "Your pop really likes Emily. He was flirting with her and trying to impress her with his old war stories. But your Nan wasn't one to be out done. She was trying to use her womanly wiles on Sam. He was blushing like crazy all afternoon. It was great."

"Yeah, they're not a shy bunch," Edward said laughing. "How was your signing today?"

"It was an experience," Bella said diplomatically. Her worry was that Edward would feel guilty about the antics at today's signing, and she didn't want him to be upset or worried. He had enough on his plate right now, and she didn't want to add to it.

"What happened?" Edward said, sitting up. The tone in her voice said it all to him even if her words didn't.

"Nothing," Bella said shaking her head. "It's just another day, and it ended well. That's all that matters."

"Bella," Edward said firmly and now wide awake. "If you don't tell me what happened, I'm hanging up and calling Emily."

"Fine," Bella huffed. "One girl wanted me to sign the _All About Edward Cullen_ book as Bella Cullen, and when I wouldn't, she demanded I call you to prove that we hadn't broken up. She started to get upset, and Emily escorted her out. The next set of girls wanted me to actually sign my book, but they were full of underhanded comments about how surprised they were that I was actually good at writing. The fact that the liked what I did made it easier for them to accept that we were together."

Bella could hear Edward growling, so she pushed on to distract him. "I know more about the last girl than I ever wanted to know about any other girl in the whole world."

"Why do you say that?" Edward asked.

"She wanted to give me something, so she turned around to get something out of her bag that was on the floor. When she went to bend over, she flashed me. Or mooned me. Whatever you want to call it," Bella said as she tried to think of the right word.

"She showed you her ass?" Edward asked kind of wishing he'd been there to see the look on Bella's face when it happened.

"Not her ass," Bella said. "That's why I don't know what to call what she did. I saw her nether lips."

"Her…Oooohhhh," Edward said, not quite knowing what to say.

"Thankfully she was well groomed," Bella said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Although I could have done without seeing the placement of her hot pink g-string. But I don't think she did it intentionally."

"What happened?" Edward asked as he pictured the whole thing in his head.

"Emily went to help her by lifting her bag so she could stand up properly. All she wanted was to give me a thumb drive of her audition footage. I had to let her down, and she understood. But she was disappointed," Bella said softly. "I felt kind of bad."

Edward ran his hand through his hair and sighed heavily. "Bella, I am so sorry that your signing went haywire because of me. Today should have been about you and people loving your work because of how awesome you are, not because some of my fans are rabid."

"It's not your fault," Bella said pulling her knees up onto her chair. Tucking her chin down, she rested it on her knees and closed her eyes. Just hearing his voice made the whole day better. "It's just one day. It's over now, and I get to talk to you. Hearing your voice makes everything better."

Slouching back down on his bed, Edward grabbed one of his pillows and hugged it to his chest. "How many more days?"

Looking at the calendar, Bella said, "47. We can do it. One day at a time."

"I just hope that there are no more days like this," Edward said shaking his head. "The only nudity you should be seeing is from me."

Bella laughed. "Well, then next time, we'll just have to Skype."


	24. Chapter 24

#Belward – Chapter 24

He was tired. Every single part of his body hurt, even his fingernails and his eyelashes. All he wanted to do was go back to his cottage and take a hot shower and call his girl. But nope. He had to sit in the director's trailer because Aro wanted to talk about the next day's filming. After ten straight days of filming battle scenes in the middle of the woods, they were at least going to be able to shoot in doors for the next week.

Aro was a great director, but he was a little bit of a European Hippie when it came to his craft. He had a schedule, but he didn't like to stick to it. He went with the energy and the flow of the day, and there were times when he would extend filming because the feel was just right for him. He was a union nightmare, but he was a master craftsman when it came to film.

Edward was thankful that he at least got to change out of his costume. He'd been in a ditch all damn day, and most of the ditch had been filled with mud and water. He hadn't taken a look yet, but Edward swore his balls were shriveled like fucking raisins.

When the door to the trailer opened, Edward looked up hoping to see Aro. Instead, he saw his co-star Victoria. Lifting his hand in a wave, Edward said, "Hey Vic. Is Aro on his way?"

"Nope, sorry, Eddie," Victoria said.

Edward watched Victoria approach him, and when it looked like she was going to sit herself down on the arm of the chair he was sitting on, he held up his hand and said, "Boundaries, Vic!"

"Huh?" Victoria said, as she stopped herself. "Oh, yeah. Sorry. My bad."

"It's fine," Edward said when Victoria went to sit in the chair against the opposite wall.

Victoria was a nice person. She was just a little bit ditzy and naïve. Okay, maybe ignorant was a better word. She was one of those people that grew up in Hollywood. Her mother was a famed costume designer, and her father was a well-known set designer. Growing up in the Hollywood bubble made her a little different. She had no sense of personal boundaries because everything in Hollywood is open, shared, and communal. While Edward appreciated Victoria's abilities as an actress, he had to remind her constantly that his personal bubble was a restricted access area.

After a few minutes, Aro walked in and plopped himself down in the last spare chair in the trailer. "Amazing day, Edward. Absolutely amazing. Your anguish in that fox hole was palpable."

"Yeah, 10 hours in a muddy hole in the ground will do that to you," Edward mumbled. When he ran his hands through his hair, he was disgusted. He could feel the grime from the sweat, dirt, and faux rain, and it was just gross.

Clapping his hands together, Aro said, "Okay, my lovelies. Tomorrow we start filming in the house, and I've switched up the schedule a little bit. I'm just sensing that it'll be a spectacular day to film the love scene. Your auras are reading well together, and I think we should continue that energy. We want to keep the two of you in synch with each other."

Sighing, Edward nodded his head. He knew that there would eventually be a point where he would have to film the love scene with Victoria, but he wasn't looking forward to it. There was only one woman that he wanted to kiss, and Victoria wasn't it. He knew it was work, and he had to do it. But the thought of having to spend hours making out with anyone other than Bella made his skin crawl.

"I've been replaying the scene in my head over and over, and I really think that full nudity would be most effective in portraying the vulnerability and honesty of the scene," Aro said as if it were the most natural thing on earth to request.

While Victoria seemed unfazed by Aro's words, Edward blinked a couple of times and sat up in his chair. Leaning forward, he said, "Wait, full nudity? For who? Which parts?"

"Oh, I just went to the salon and got a full Brazilian this morning. It must be fate," Victoria said with a smile. "Don't worry, Eddie. I'm all clean, and I'm completely comfortable with you. You don't have to worry about me. You're so sweet. No wonder your Bella loves you so much."

Edward looked at Victoria blankly and turned back to Aro without a word to her. "Aro, when we talked about this you felt that white cotton boxers and a white night gown for Victoria would best represent the innocence and purity of the scene. I think we should stick with that."

Aro closed his eyes and lifted his hands in the air. As he sat there, he started to hum, and his hands began to dance in the air in front of him. After a minute, he opened his eyes and looked at Edward, "No, it has to be full nudity. You'll be given a skin toned g-string, but your rear needs to be fully visible to capture the essence of what I'm looking for in the scene."

"You're really set on this," Edward said as a statement and not a question. He could see the artistic direction set in the man's face.

"Yes," Aro said with a nod of his head. "I have a vision, and it will be visually astounding. Don't worry, Edward. I'm sure with all of the squatting, running, jumping, and crawling I've had you do in the last few weeks, your glutes are just dying to make their debut."

With that, Aro did one last happy clap before exiting the trailer. Edward stayed seated in his chair for a moment longer, and Victoria came to kneel beside Edward's chair. When she placed her hand on his thigh, he gently grabbed her wrist. "You're in my bubble again, Vic."

"Oopsies," she said placing her hands demurely in her lap. "I always forget that. You look beat, Eddie. You should go home, shower, and call your Bella. I'm sure she misses you tons."

Standing, Edward said, "I miss her tons. I'll see you tomorrow, Vic. Do you have a ride back to your place?"

"Yeah," Victoria said. Walking through the door that Edward held open for her, she said, "My body guard Jamie should be around here somewhere. He's just so cute, and he's so protective of me. He sure knows how to make a girl feel special. I think I might be getting a crush on him."

Smiling, Edward spotted their body guards standing several feet away at the craft services table. "He seems like a decent guy, Vic. 'Just be careful. Make sure your dad meets him before you jump into anything too serious."

"Oh, I will. Daddy said that I'm not allowed to date anyone that he hasn't met first," Victoria said as they walked over to James. "He even said that he'd be okay if I brought home a girl as long as he got to meet her first."

A couple of eyebrows raised, as they passed by a few set hands on their way to their guards. "Vic, I wouldn't say stuff like that around too many people. They might get the wrong idea."

"It's okay if people think I'm a lesbian. I've kissed girls before. It's okay. They're lips are softer, but I don't really get turned on," Victoria said in a matter of fact tone.

"Okay then," Edward said. "Have a good night, Vic. I'll see you tomorrow."

When Edward finally made it over to where Embry and Quil were eating the last of the sandwiches from the craft services table, he said, "Please get me out of here. I want a shower, and I want to call Bella."

Dusting the crumbs off his hand, Quil shoved his hands in his pockets to grab the car keys. "You got it."

As they walked to the car, Embry leaned over and sniffed. "Whoa, Edward. No offense, but you are foul today. It's like a combination of sewage, sweat, and rotten leaves."

"Probably is," Edward said with a shrug.

Wrinkling his nose, Quil said, "Thank god it's a short ride to the cottage. That smell would be a bitch to get out of the interior of the car."

Rolling his eyes, Edward sighed. "You're the most supportive mother fuckers in the whole entire world. I'm the luckiest bastard ever."

Even though the ride to the cottage was less than 20 minutes, Edward fell asleep anyway. When Embry woke him up, he rolled out of the car and went straight to the bathroom. The cottage itself was over a hundred years old, but Edward was beyond thankful that the plumbing was new. The water pressure and heater were a godsend.

After he got out of the shower, he threw on a pair of sweat pants and dropped onto his bed. As soon as he hit the bed, he was dialing Bella. She answered after a couple of rings, and just the sound of her voice was like a soothing salve over his tired, aching body.

"Hi Edward," Bella said as she saved her work on the computer.

"Hey Sweetheart. I miss you," Edward said with a sigh of relief.

"I miss you," she said as she pushed away from her desk. "You sound absolutely beat. Is it always this exhausting when you film?"

"No," Edward said. "It depends on the film. This one is more physically demanding than others because of all the battle scenes. But not all movies require me to do as much physical acting as this one does."

"Okay," Bella said as she walked from the desk in her suite to the bed. Thankfully they'd finished the signing earlier that morning, so she had the rest of the day to herself to write and wait for Edward's call. "It worries me that you're so tired."

"I'm okay," Edward said missing her more by the moment. "Today was my last battle scene in the woods, but I do have more physical stuff to do tomorrow that I have to tell you about."

"Why? Is it dangerous?" Bella said. Edward had already explained to her that the bullets they were using were blanks and couldn't hurt anyone, but she still worried about him.

"Uh, not exactly," Edward said as he reached up to rub the back of his neck out of nervousness. "I have to film a love scene with Victoria tomorrow."

"Oh," Bella said. Edward had already told her that he'd have to shoot one in this movie, but she'd put it to the back of her mind. "Do I need to be concerned?"

"No," Edward said. Clearing his throat, he said, "I just want to be completely honest with you about everything. There's nothing about tomorrow's filming that you need to be worried about. Victoria is not a threat at all. She's harmless. It's just that Aro decided that we have to do the scene nude."

"Like naked?" Bella asked.

"Well, not completely," Edward explained. "We'll both be wearing these flesh toned g-strings that give the illusion of being naked."

"Oh, I see," Bella said. Picturing Edward's discomfort, she said, "So your bare ass will be on camera, and you'll be face to tits with Victoria all day."

Edward thought about her words for a second, and said, "Uh, yeah. Basically that's what it boils down to if you want to look at it that way."

"Does she have nice tits?" Bella asked. She wasn't purposely trying to make Edward squirm. She was just finding this conversation to be unexpectedly amusing.

"I haven't exactly noticed," Edward said. "She's like 20 years old. I'd be a dirty old man if I were checking her out."

"I thought all guys notice a girl's assets. It's just a part of their DNA," Bella said with a smile.

"No!" Edward said. "That's just an excuse for guys to perv out all the time. Some guys do have control of where their eyes go when a girl passes by. I know what it feels like to be objectified, so I don't want to be like that to someone else."

"Good answer," Bella said with a bigger smile. "So, tomorrow, will this scene be taking place in a bed?"

"Parts of it probably will be," Edward said with a shrug. The script called for the bedroom, but he didn't put anything past Aro and his creative freedom.

"Either way, the only thing separating your cock from Victoria's pussy will be two thin scraps of material," Bella said making sure to emphasize the words "your" and "cock".

"Shit, Bella," Edward said, pushing the back of his head further into the headboard. "You can't say stuff like that to me."

"Why? Am I making it hard for you, Edward?" Bella asked teasingly.

"Yes, you are," Edward said. Groaning, he said, "The only pussy I want to be near is yours. How many more days?"

"39," Bella said softly. "We can make it."

#####

"I can't be in a relationship with you if that's how you feel," Edward said shaking his head even if Bella couldn't see him.

"Well, I'm not going to change my mind on this," Bella said stubbornly. She was entitled to her opinion and her own choices, and her decision was made. "I'm not saying you have to agree with me. I'm saying that you have to accept my feelings on the matter."

"No, no I don't," Edward said being just as stubborn. "I don't understand why this is such a hard thing."

"It's not," Bella said with a huff. "You're making it way more difficult than it needs to be."

"Me?!" Edward said in disbelief. Usually when they talked on the phone, he was sitting on the couch or lying in bed. But today he was up and pacing in his bedroom. "You're the one who can't see plain logic."

"This has nothing to do with logic," Bella said. She couldn't believe he was being so ridiculous. "It's a simple matter of opinion."

"Everything has to do with logic," Edward grumbled. "This is why there's so much conflict and strife in the world. Women can't just succumb to simple logic. They have to make everything complicated with feelings and emotions and thoughts."

"Hey! Excuse me," Bella said waving her hand in front of her even though Edward was on the other side of the world. "Don't make this into something it's not by being a sexist bastard about it."

"I'm not being a sexist bastard. I'm just being honest," Edward said. Running his hand through his hair, he said, "Mom always said that honesty is the best policy."

"Speaking of your mom, I should call her. She'd agree with me that you're wrong," Bella said in utter defiance of his opinion.

"Bella," Edward said with a sigh.

"Edward," Bella said in a tone mimicking his.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Edward sighed. "This is stupid. I can't believe we're disagreeing on something so trivial."

"You are the one who made it a bigger deal than it needed to be," Bella said, throwing her arm out to the side in frustration.

"Because you're the one who said that Taylor Swift is one of the most talented lyricists of her generation," Edward said with exasperation.

"She is!" Bella said loudly. "If you took time to actually listen to the words, you'd see the picture she paints and the stories she tells through her songs."

"I don't want to," Edward said shaking his head again. "I don't want to shake it off, and maybe I want to go out of style. There are no tears on my guitar, and I am not a really big fan of Tim McGraw's music. I'm more concerned with my own love story at the moment because my girlfriend is crazy."

Bella burst out laughing. "See! You do listen to her music. Liar!"

"I can't help it! Some of the songs end up sticking in your head even though you want to brain bleach them out!" Edward said smiling. He loved the sound of her laughter.

"Your girlfriend might be crazy, but my boyfriend is ridiculous," Bella said as her laughter quieted.

"That might be one of the stupidest disagreements in the history of all relationships," Edward mused as he went to sit down on the couch.

"Yeah, but if you can't be stupid with the one you love, who can you be stupid with?" Bella asked with a smile on her face as she went to curl up in her bed.


	25. Chapter 25

#Belward – Chapter 25

The last time all the girls had gathered together, it was because Edward had left for Paris. This time, they were gathered because Bella was leaving for Paris. Just like the last time, Bella, Angela, Vanessa, Maria, Emily, Alice, Rosalie, and Tanya were huddled in Bella's living room amongst a mountain of pillows and blankets. However, this time, instead of pizza and wine coolers, it was tacos and margaritas.

After taking a sip of her strawberry margarita, Maria nudged Tanya with her shoulder. "Come on, Tan, give us an update. Have you found your unicorn on any of those singles apps?"

"Ooohhh, yeah. Come on, let us live vicariously through you," Vanessa said, her taco all but forgotten. "It's been so long since I've been in the game and out on the chase. Being old, married, and surrounded by My Little Pony just doesn't have the same adrenaline rush."

Tanya laughed. "I'm still old, and I'm surrounded by Miles from Tomorrowland. Same thing. I just don't have husband."

"You're avoiding the question," Rosalie said before she stuck a wedge of lime in her mouth.

"Well, there is this one guy that I've been talking to," Tanya said quietly while she twirled her straw in her cup.

Looking around, all the other women shared glances. When their eyes met, Alice asked with a smirk, "Are we too old to squeal just because we're in our thirties?"

"Thirty is the new twenty, bitch. Don't call me old," Rosalie said, spitting the lime wedge into a napkin.

"You're never too old to squeal when a girlfriend gets some happy in her life," Angela said reasonably.

After all of her friends finished squealing for her, Tanya laughed and said, "I can't believe I actually met a guy on Bumble, but Demetri is so nice. We only met up for coffee a couple of times, but he's actually kind of sweet in that way. He wants to actually get to know me, so he's the one that suggests the dates in broad daylight. He knows I'm trying to be cautious because I have to think about Caius, and he's completely okay with me having a kid from someone else."

Biting her lip, Tanya looked at the melting ice cubes in her margarita and said, "I actually kind of tested him a little bit. I wore a really tight, v-neck shirt the last time we met up a few days ago, and I did catch him looking at my boobs. He blushed. It was the cutest thing. It kind of made me want to jump him."

Bella laughed and said, "Tan, you were baiting the man. How could a guy not look at your boobs?"

"Right?!" Vanessa said. Reaching forward she grabbed one of Tanya's boobs and said, "As the only other mom here, I have to say that it's something to be proud of when your tits still look like this after you've nursed a kid. Gravity is a bitch."

Tanya just laughed and took a bite of her taco. Swallowing, she said, "Demetri actually asked me on a night time date this coming weekend. He asked if I'd want to go to an early dinner and see _Wicked_ with him."

"Yes you do!" Emily, Maria, Rosalie and Alice said simultaneously.

"I'll come by in the afternoon and get Caius. Jake and I will take the kids for a play date and sleepover," Vanessa said with finality. "Jake likes having a boy around that he can play rough with."

"You guys, it's been so long since I've been on a nighttime date," Tanya said feeling a little insecure. "It's a Broadway show and everything. I don't-"

"Don't you even say that you don't have anything to wear," Alice said, pointing her sparkly manicured finger at her friend. "Hello? If I can't hook my friends up with free designer stuff, then I have no reason to exist."

"Alice and I will bring Rachel and the supplies," Rosalie said, throwing her arm over Tanya's shoulders. "We'll have you pampered and feeling nothing but sexy by the time Demetri picks you up."

Maria and Bella leaned on each other with their heads together. Bella took a sip of her margarita and said sadly, "We're gonna miss it. It's my girl's first date, and we'll be all the way in Europe."

"To see your men!" Tanya said excitedly. "If all goes well, there will be more dates for you to see me off on. You've been waiting for two months to see Edward and Embry. You guys go. We can Skype when they're on set, and I'll tell you all about it."

"Your date is going to be awesome," Emily said with confidence. "In fact, we'll go shopping and bring you back some sexy French lingerie in preparation for your future dates with Demetri. Shit, even his name is sexy."

"Amen, sister," Rosalie said, toasting to Emily's last statement. "His name just rolls of your tongue."

"I'm sure the man's got a lot more things that he'd love to have roll off your tongue," Emily said with a wink.

Bella was laughing, as she pushed her margarita onto the coffee table. "Too much tequila. I have to stop. I don't want to be hungover when I get on that plane."

Sobering up a little, Rosalie extended her foot across the circle and nudged Bella's sock covered foot with her own. "So, Bella, in all honesty and seriousness, what did you think of these last couple of months without Edward?"

"It wasn't what I expected," Bella said slowly. Smirking, she said, "In some ways, it was good that I had the Book Tour because it distracted me from missing him, but at the same time it was a constant reminder that he wasn't here."

"Yeah, his fans are fucking nuts," Emily said as she shot the last sip of her margarita. "But you were a champ."

Bella just shrugged her shoulders. "I had to be. If I let myself be sad, I'd be bone crushingly sad. Acting is a part of who he is, and that is going to take him away from me sometimes. I get that, and I accept it. This is just the first time of many that we'll have to be separated for months at a time. If I couldn't make it this time, I would really have to question whether I'm supposed to be with Edward."

Maria could empathize, and put her arm around her friend. Squeezing Bella's shoulders, she said nothing and just offered silent understanding.

"I wasn't looking for him," Bella said softly. "But I'm so glad that I found him. He's everything I didn't know I wanted. Everything I didn't know I needed. I loved my life before him, but with him everything is so much better. It's so cliché, but I swear to god it feels like colors are brighter, sounds are clearer, and everything is just more defined. It's only been a few months, and I've spent more time away from him than actually with him. But I know. I know that he's it for me. Because I know that, I have to make myself get used to this life where we won't always be able to be together physically."

"We're proud of you, Bella," Angela said. "You faced down a lot of horrible people, and you did it with class and tenacity. I know it wasn't always easy for you, but you did everything you needed to even when you didn't want to."

"And I know that there was a lot for you to get used to," Rosalie said warmly. "Sex scenes with ditzy redheads be damned. Like I told you before, it's worse for the person having to go through with it. Edward sounded so sick that morning that he had to go through with the scene. He kept saying that his body was yours, and he didn't want to be naked and touching Victoria. I completely understood because it's that way for me all the time. And it made him feel so much better when I could tell him with certainty that you weren't mad, and you trusted him completely."

Bella picked up a small piece of tomato and popped it into her mouth. "If I didn't trust him completely, I wouldn't have been able to let him go to Paris period. Silly man. I felt worse for him because he had to act it out and physically go through with it. At least when I write love scenes, I just live it in my head. I can put his face and have him act out every hero in every book. It's actually more fun for me. I can't imagine what it must've been like for him to have to do what he did. If it were me, I'd probably have quit."

"You're both doing what you were meant to," Angela said. "And now you'll finally get to be together again."

"Yeah, reunion sex beats make-up sex any day," Maria said winking at Bella.

Rosalie reached over and high-fived Maria. "Hell yeah it does. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and the reunion night get longer. Fuck yes all night long, girlfriend."

"Ugh, now I'm going to be thinking about sex on my date tomorrow night," Tanya mumbled under her breath. She didn't mean to say it out loud, but it just came out. Damn lack of a verbal filter. Fucking tequila.

"Tequila is a mind and filter eraser!" Alice said looking at her empty cup. "And why the hell would you not be thinking of sex on a date? If a guy doesn't make you think about sex on a date, you shouldn't be dating him."

"Okay, hussy, not everyone jumps the bone on the first date," Rosalie said with a laugh.

"That's my brother!" Maria said covering her ears. "We talked about this. No sex talk about the brothers. You can do that after I pass out!"

#####

"Drive faster," Edward said from the back seat of the car without looking up. For the past three days, he had been addicted to the Tsum Tsum game because one of the child actors on set showed it to him. Now he had to get a new high score, and it was driving him crazy.

"What the hell do you think this is?" Quil said from the drivers' seat. "This is not the Autobahn."

Embry looked up from his phone at Seth and asked, "We should totally go there! How far is that? Can we get there from here? Let's go now."

"Fuck no," Edward said looking up from his game. "I have waited 58 days to see Bella, and it's finally day number 59! So drive fucking faster!"

Embry looked at his watch and back at Edward. "Dude, there's no need to rush. Her plane doesn't even land for another two hours. We have all the time in the world. Autobahn!"

Quil glanced over at Embry and said calmly, "We're headed to Paris. The Autobahn is in Germany. It'd take more than two hours to get there and back."

"Well, Bella can wait-"

"NO!" Edward yelled, his game completely forgotten. "She cannot wait. I cannot wait. Drive faster!"

Turning around in his seat to look at Edward, Embry said calmly, "Edward, I think you need to get laid. You seem a little tense."

"No fucking shit, Sherlock!" Edward said as he threw his head back against the headrest. "Quil, I will give you a million dollars if you accelerate this vehicle and DRIVE FASTER!"

Embry turned around and shook his head. "Don't do it, Quil. He always says he'll give you a million dollars if you do something, but he's full of shit. He'll never give it to you. Motherfucker owes me about $10 million by now."

"That's just bullshit," Edward said scoffing. "Embry doesn't do jack. The only person he listens to is Maria, and that's because he is a pussy-whipped little bitch."

"And you're not?!" Embry said turning around. "You're the one sitting here whining and crying because you want to see a woman who isn't even in the city yet."

"We weren't talking about me. We were talking about you," Edward said as he crossed his arms like a petulant child.

"Oh my god," Quil mumbled under his breath as he started to drive a little faster. "For the record, I'm not driving faster to get to Bella or the Autobahn. I'm driving faster to get you two idiots out of my goddamn car!"

#####

The second Bella walked into her flat in Paris, she was engulfed by Edward. She was right where she wanted to be with his arms around her and her face buried in his strong, warm chest. Taking a deep breath, she inhaled his clean, masculine Edward scent. Tightening her arms around his neck, Bella felt Edward stand up straighter, so she wrapped her legs around his waist.

Bella had dropped her bags in the doorway, but she didn't care. She knew Sam and Emily were behind her with the other bags. All she cared about was the man that she'd desperately been missing the last two months.

Edward walked them over to the couch and sat down with Bella in his lap. With his face still buried in the crook of Bella's neck, Edward mumbled, "It's day 59. We made it."

"We did," Bella said. With her fingers still in his hair at the nape of his neck, Bella closed her eyes and said, "I kept telling the pilot to fly faster, but he kept telling me it was against the rules. I fired him five times on the way over, but no one would listen to me."

Edward laughed and pressed a kiss to Bella's neck. "Quil got so fed up with Embry and I arguing in the car that he tried to quit a few times. We both said no. We told him he had to serve a life sentence with us."

Bella laughed. "You guys are mean to him."

Their little bubble was popped at the sound of two suitcases being dropped at the doorway.

"Okay," Emily said when she came to stand behind Sam and the suitcases. Stepping around her husband and over the bags, she leveled Bella with a glare. "Lady, I get that you missed your man, and you are itching for some good lovin'. I don't blame you for getting yours. But will the two of you please practice safety?!"

Edward gave Emily his best panty-dropping smile. "Bella gets the shot, so we're covered. Thanks."

Sam grabbed his wife's waist before she could charge Edward. "Say goodbye, Emily."

Pointing at Edward and Bella, Emily said, "Close the door and lock it before you start getting naked! And do NOT go out without calling me. Embry said he's going to be busy sexing his wife tonight, and Quil is boycotting you, Edward."

Snuggling closer to Edward, Bella said, "I think we're just going to stay in tonight. I'll call you tomorrow morning."

As Sam was dragging Emily away, she yelled one last time, "Close and lock the door!"

Edward kissed Bella's head and slid her off of his lap. Walking over to the door, he picked up her bags and shut the door. Locking both the door and the deadbolt, he asked, "Do you want these in the bedroom?"

"I'd rather have you in the bedroom," Bella said with a smirk.

Grinning back, Edward said, "Sweetheart, you can have me in the bedroom, on the couch, in the kitchen, in that awesome looking tub you've got. You can have me anytime, anywhere."

"Well, I think I should be rewarded for my patience these last couple of months," Bella said, standing up from the couch. Turning, she started to walk towards the bedroom. Taking off her shirt, she dropped it behind her. "I'm ready to collect now."

Edward was right behind her in less than five seconds. "I'm ready to pay now."

#####

A few hours later, Edward and Bella were curled up on the couch each with a big bowl of Salade Nicoise. On the coffee table in front of them was a baguette, some brie, and a bottle of Rose Champagne.

"I'm so glad you're here," Edward said. "I was so worried that you'd call me one day and tell me that it was too much for you. I wasn't worth waiting for and my fans were too insane."

Reaching forward, Bella brushed her fingers down the side of Edward's stubbly cheek. "I was worried you'd find some French model that you'd rather date instead of plain, boring Bella."

"Bella, there's nothing plain about you," Edward said lovingly. "And I'd choose your curves over the bony models any day. They're pointy, and they smell like cigarette smoke all the time. No one ever caught my eye until you, and I can confidently say that no one will ever catch my eye again. You're it for me."

"You're it for me too," Bella said quietly. Reaching over, she picked up her glass and took a sip of the champagne. Looking at the clock, she saw it was already almost ten o'clock. "What time do you have to be on set tomorrow?"

"Seven," Edward said. He placed his empty bowl on the table and ripped off a big hunk of crusty bread. Feeding a small piece to Bella, he tore off another piece for himself. "Aro text earlier to say that being back in the city is inspiring him. I'm supposed to finish at 6 p.m., but might be a little later if his muse is speaking to him."

Bella laughed at Edward rolling his eyes at his director. "I'll be here whenever you get back. Maria, Emily, and I will probably just go shopping in the afternoon."

Edward's eyes shot up in surprise. Bella never went shopping voluntarily, and now that Alice had claimed her for a sister, clothes got sent to her on a weekly basis. "You're going shopping? Or Maria and Emily are going shopping, and you're just tagging along?"

"We're all going," Bella said. Leaning forward, she placed her hands on Edward's thighs and said, "Tan has a date! She met a guy, and she really likes him. I'm so happy for her!"

Edward smiled. He liked Tanya, and he thought she was a nice girl who got handed some bad luck in the past with her ex. "Did she as you guys to pick up stuff for her date?"

"No," Bella said shaking her head. "Maria and Emily thought it would be a good idea for us to buy her some sexy French lingerie for her future dates. She was feeling so insecure about not having been on a date in such a long time. Alice, Rose, and Rachel are going to help her get ready today, and we're going to get her some power panties to make her feel good for future dates. I'm sure eventually Demetri will probably enjoy our gifts for her too."

Edward stood up and went to get his wallet off of the kitchen counter.

"What are you doing?" Bella asked as Edward came back to sit down next to her. When he handed her a thick wad of Euro, she just held it in her hand. "What is this for? I have money."

Edward looked at the bills in Bella's hand and took it back. "That's probably not enough. Here take my card."

"Edward," Bella laughed as she looked down at the credit card in her hand. "I have credit cards. What are you giving me this for?"

He thought for a second and placed the cash back in her hand. "Take that too. Just spend all of it. I know you have money, but I want you to use my money tomorrow. Buy Tanya some perfume. You always smell so good, and guys like when girls smell good. Tanya makes the most fuckawesome cookies, and I think she's a good person. Buy her something from me."

"Oh, Edward," Bella said, feeling her heart melt. He was such a sweet man, and it was little moments like this that made her fall in love with him over and over again.

"Then, I want you to focus on buying me presents," Edward said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"And what kind of presents would these be?" Bella asked.

"For every one piece of sexy lingerie you get for Tanya, I want you to buy three for yourself," Edward said. "I'm not picky. I'm an equal opportunity lingerie enthusiast."

"Really?" Bella laughed. "I was not aware that you were a lingerie enthusiast."

"Oh, Bella," Edward said leaning forward. He kept going until he was leaning over her on the couch. "It's more that I'm a Bella enthusiast. The lingerie is just pretty wrapping for my favorite gift of all.

She wasn't sure if it was all the champagne, his words, or the fact that she was finally close enough to feel the warmth of his body on hers again, but Bella was feeling all kinds of tingly at the moment. "And what gift would that be?"

"You."


	26. Chapter 26

_**A/N: A couple of people have asked questions, and I've been behind in answering. I apologize.**_

 **Question #1** : Do you not write lemons? **Answer** : No, I don't. While I thoroughly enjoy them, I will honestly admit that I am not good at writing them. Rather than ruin the story by trying, I apply the "fade to black" method of transition. I'm sorry if that bugs some of you, and I apologize if I've caused any confusion for anyone.

 **Question #2** : Have they had sex or not? **Answer** : Yes, they have. They had sex at the end of Chapter 19 when they were in LA after the meeting with Marcus.

 **Question #3** : What happened to Jane? **Answer** : Imagine the worst assignment a Hollywood exec can get, and that's what she got.

 **Question #4:** Will there be any drama/angst? Is this HEA? **Answer** : This story is strictly Romance/Humor as it has been categorized since the beginning. There's enough drama/angst stories out there for those who are searching for that. In Belward-land, nothing's too serious. The intent is to be a light-hearted, fun break from reality. Belward will find their HEA.

 _ **Author's Question to the Readers: Where would you like to see this story end? What life stage would you like to see? My previous stories have never gone into epilogues, but I'm open to the idea if people want to see one. This is not the last chapter. There are still a couple more left before HEA. I just want to know what you want to read. So many of you have been incredibly supportive, and I want to give you the ending you want to see.**_

 **#####**

#Belward – Chapter 26

Edward thanked every lucky star he had that Aro had cut their shoot on time. After he changed out of his costume, he ran to collect Embry and Quil, so he could get back to his girl. When he got to their flat it was almost seven, and he was starving. Bella must have anticipated that he would be hungry because he was assaulted with the most delicious smell when he opened the door.

As he walked through the flat to the kitchen, he found Bella chopping some flat leaf parsley, completely oblivious of his arrival.

" _You'll be my soft and sweet. I'll be your strong and steady. You'll be my glass of wine. I'll be your shot of whiskey_ ," Bella sang, outrageously off key.

Edward leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest. Smiling, he watched Bella sway her hips and sing without a care in the world. After a few seconds, she glanced up and saw him.

" _You'll be my sunny day. I'll be your shade tree. You'll be my honeysuckle. I'll be your honeybee_ ," Bella crooned with her parsley covered finger at Edward.

Laughing, Edward pushed himself off the wall. When he was standing behind Bella, he wrapped his arms around her waist and swayed with her. As she hummed along to the music, he said, "I'm actually really glad that you are a horrible singer."

"Why?" Bella asked. She wasn't in the least bit offended that he called her a horrible singer. She knew she couldn't carry a tune to save her life, and she never tried to convince herself otherwise.

"Because," Edward said, placing a soft kiss on her head. "it makes me love you more because you have imperfections."

Bella laughed. "I hate to break it to you, Edward, but I have a whole lot of imperfections that you just don't know about yet."

Squeezing her around the middle a little tighter, Edward said, "Well, I'll gladly spend a whole lifetime learning and loving every single one."

Bella wiped her hands clean on a kitchen towel and turned around in Edward's arms. Placing her hands on his cheeks, she said, "You are a cheeseball, and I love you."

Leaning down, Edward kissed his girl hello for the first time that evening. "What's for dinner? It smells so good in here, and I'm starving."

"Nothing fancy," Bella said. "Senna taught me how to make Boeuf Bourguignon today."

"It smells awesome," Edward said as he took a deep breath to emphasize his point. "Do you mind if I shower really quick before we eat? I feel like I still have make-up on my face."

Bella tilted her head and saw the line of foundation that ran along Edward's jawline. "Yeah, you do. I can see line on your jaw."

"That shit makes me feel so fucking manly," Edward said as he rolled his eyes. "I'll be right back."

"Don't rush," Bella said as she went to check on the bread she had in the oven. "I'll have dinner on the table by the time you finish. Take your time."

Edward did in fact take his time. He hadn't meant to take such a slow shower, but once he got under the hot spray he got stuck. The hot water just felt so good on his fatigued body. While they were done with most of the strenuous battle scenes, he was still tired from being up and moving around for twelve hours every day.

When he finally returned to the dining room, he saw Bella opening a bottle of Gamay Noir. "What can I help you with?"

"Nothing," Bella said as she popped the cork on the bottle. "I just finished. Have a seat."

As they ate their dinner, Bella told Edward all about her day with the girls. After a few hours of writing in the morning, she and the girls went shopping. They picked up so many different things for Tanya beyond just lingerie. They all wanted to spoil her because she lived such a modest lifestyle. She always put Caius first and rarely bought anything for herself. After buying her pretty dresses, scarves, purses, blouses, perfumes, and even hair clips, they went to a few lingerie stores.

Bella promised Edward that she would model her purchases for him later, and he seemed satisfied with that answer. Before Bella started making dinner, the girls had been able to Skype with Tanya to find out how her date had gone. It made Bella so happy to see her friend gush about a guy. As she listened to Tanya, she had to wonder if she'd been like that when she'd first started dating Edward. When Tanya confirmed Bella's suspicions, the girls laughed together.

One of the things that Bella loved most about Edward was that he wasn't above doing normal things, like eating home cooked meals and helping with the kitchen clean-up. He always volunteered to help and never had to be asked or told to jump in with the chores. Even if he'd worked a full day, he didn't expect Bella to wait on him hand and foot, and he genuinely wanted to contribute to the household they were building together.

After the kitchen was cleaned up and everything was put away, Edward and Bella cuddled on the couch. The view from Bella's condo faced the Eiffel Tower, and she loved looking at it at night. It just made everything seem more magical and more like a fairy tale to see something so beautiful sparkling in the night.

Edward had his arm around Bella's shoulders with his hand playing with the strands of her hair. As he rest his cheek on the top of her head, he said softly, "Want to come visit me on the set tomorrow? I think I have a lunch break around one."

"Really? I can come visit you?" Bella asked. "I don't want to bother you or anything, but it would be cool to actually see a movie being filmed."

"Of course," Edward said. "I'll tell Sam where to go, and when you get there just call Embry. He'll come out to get you. There might be some fans though. They like to hang around the set."

Bella just shrugged her shoulders. "It's a little shocking that I'm not really fazed by it anymore. I'm used to people pointing their phones at me when I walk down the street. Today some girl asked me to take a picture with her in the public restroom in the mall. It was very strange. She said she hoped to be the first one to hashtag BelwardinParis, and she was quite disappointed when she saw that a number of people had already posted pictures of me from earlier."

"Sometimes I'm just tempted to do something outrageous just to give them the show they crave so much and hope that they realize how ridiculous it is," Edward said with a roll of his eyes. "But then it occurs to me that they won't see it as outlandish. They'll just think it's normal. People just seem to forget that my job is abnormal, but I'm completely normal. I'm just a regular guy like everyone else. The platform for my job is just different. What I do doesn't dictate who I am or the kind of lifestyle I need to lead. They have it completely backwards."

"Do you ever feel pressured to live differently because you don't party, or buy expensive cars, or drop millions of dollars on yachts that sail around the world?" Bella asked, as she watched her finger trace the thread on the bottom of Edward's shirt.

"No," Edward said. The feeling of Bella's finger running over his lower stomach was kind of hypnotizing and he had to focus to stay on topic. "I promised myself that I would never lose myself to Hollywood. It's just where I live and where I work. It would never define me. My parents raised me to be more than just a stereotype. I never wanted to be one of those artists that said they were artists, but were really just characters."

Bella turned her head to look at Edward. Resting her chin on his chest, she said softly, "I'm so proud of you, Edward Cullen. You have such a quiet integrity to you. You know who you are, and you don't compromise that for anyone or anything. Everything about you is understated and humble, and it's so easy to think you're just normal, or plain, or simple. But you're not. You're so much more than all of that, and I love you for it. I love you for it all."

There wasn't a response that Edward could give after that. What do you say to someone who just understands you on a level that no one else ever had before? How do you respond when the person you think of most highly in the whole world pays you the greatest compliment you've ever received? Edward didn't have those answers. All he could do was hope that Bella could feel his emotions in the kiss he gave her.

#####

When Bella arrived at the set the following day, she wasn't surprised to see hordes of fans camped outside the barriers. There were women of all ages waiting for just a glimpse of Edward, and she couldn't blame them. The man sure was a sight to look at.

As she walked up to where Embry had instructed, a blur of movement came up on her left. With a gasp, Bella came face to face with a small, but professional video camera being operated by a tall, skinny blonde guy. Next, an iPhone got shoved in her face by a peroxide blonde with silicone tits.

Emily was in the blonde's face in an instant. "I'm sorry, Miss, but you're going to need to turn off your recorder and step back."

"Relax GI Jane. I come in peace," blondie said, raising two fingers in a peace symbol to emphasize her point. "I just want to ask Bella a few questions."

"All interviews need to be scheduled through Ms. Swan's agency," Emily said. She could see Sam step closer to Bella, sensing that this girl would not be so easily dissuaded.

"Oh come on, Janie, pretty please?" blondie said in an irritatingly high pitched voice. By this point, a small group of fans noticed that something was happening and were starting to wander closer to where they were standing.

"My name's not Jane, and you need to get moving," Emily said. Grabbing Bella's arm, she attempted to walk past blondie, but the tall skinny camera guy blocked her way. Every time she tried to step around them, one of them got in their way.

Smirking, Blondie noticed the crowd she gathered and addressed Bella directly. "Bella, the fans just want to know a little bit about Belward. They've been so incredibly patient this whole time waiting for the two of you to do an interview and share a little bit with the world. It's a little selfish of you both to hide from your adoring public. The fans just want a chance to support you and love you."

Emily and Sam sandwiched Bella between them and tried to walk around the blondes, but the fans circled tightly around them and formed a barricade five people deep.

"Bella, let's be completely honest. The reason why you've been silent is because you know you're not good enough for Edward. You're just after him for his celebrity status and his money," Blondie said feeling an extra boost of confidence due to the audience she was gathering.

Emily was so thankful that Bella was smarter than Blondie. She couldn't be baited or provoked. While Bella did give Blondie the bitch brow, she didn't utter a single word.

"The fans are hungry to know how you made Hollywood's Most Eligible Bachelor ditch singlehood," Blondie said. By this point she was thriving off of the bodies crowding around them. She could feel her adrenaline pumping through her veins, and it was making her more and more bold. "What are you giving him that no one else could before? Is he into kinky sex? Or are you a beard for his gay lovers?"

Bella's eyebrows shot up, and she just smirked in response. With Emily and Sam on either side of her, they slowly inched their way forward to the set.

"Bella, your continuous silence can only lead the fans to believe the worst in you and Edward," Blondie said. Pouting for emphasis, she said, "Come on, now. You wouldn't want the fans to start thinking badly of Edward would you? Or is that all a part of your sinister plan? You want them all to turn against him, so this is all just a ploy to drive his career into the ground. Is that how you're blackmailing him?"

"It's nice to know investigative journalism is so full of integrity," Edward said as he pushed through the crowd with Quil and Embry flanking him. When he got to Bella, he put his arm around her waist and pulled her tight to his side.

As soon as everyone realized Edward was there chaos broke out. Girls started screaming, cameras started flashing, and the wall of people started to close in even tighter. Embry stayed in the front of the couple while Sam took up the back. Quil stayed next to Edward, and Emily stayed tight to Bella's side. Slowly they made their way back to the set.

Blondie, however, was not to be deterred. This was her chance to get the interview that no one else could get. "Edward, look at you being all Prince Charming by swooping in to save Bella. Tell your fans how you met."

"To all the fans who respect our privacy and have supported us without feeling the need to impose, I'd like to say thank you. We are happy and just want to live quietly and peacefully, and we appreciate everyone who understands and accepts that," Edward said diplomatically. He watched Embry shift his body to block the camera. Thankfully, Embry was pushing forward a little faster without putting his hands on anyone. They knew from the unfortunate stories of their peers that placing hands on anyone could lead to lawsuits that no one had the time or energy to deal with.

"Edward, people will assume the worst if you don't tell them anything," Blondie threated as they reached the barrier to the set.

"People will assume the worst whether I tell them anything or not. Therefore, I have absolutely no reason to say a single thing," Edward said. Before they walked through the barrier, Edward turned around and addressed the group. "Please leave Bella alone. She doesn't deserve to be accosted and smothered like this. Consider what you're doing to someone, and imagine how you would feel if people did that to someone you loved."

With that, Edward pulled Bella through the security barrier and back onto the open set. As soon as they were through and away from prying eyes, he pulled Bella close and took her face in his hands. "Are you okay? I am so sorry we didn't get to you sooner."

Embry stood behind Edward and watched Bella's face for any signs of distress. Seeing none, he turned to Emily and said, "I'm sorry, Em. We didn't know it got that crowded outside. We should've come to get you guys."

Bella reached up and wrapped her hands around Edward's strong wrists. Squeezing, she said, "It's okay. We're okay. I'm okay. It wasn't worse than what we've had to deal with before."

"It wouldn't have been that bad if the Blonde Twins hadn't been so fucking obnoxious," Emily said with disgust. "Who the hell were they? I was about two minutes away from taking that bitch down. She was annoying as fuck."

"Who's annoying as fuck?" Victoria asked as she walked up to the group. Seeing Bella, Victoria squealed in delight and grabbed Bella into a hug. "You must be Bella! I'm so excited to meet you! Edward talks about you all the time. I feel like I'm in love with you."

Emily stepped forward and pulled Victoria off of Bella, while Edward pinched the bridge of his nose. "Personal bubbles, Vic. We all have them."

"Oh, sorry, Bella. I tend to get a little overly enthusiastic sometimes," Victoria said with and apologetic shrug of her shoulders. Looking around the circle, she asked, "Who was annoying you guys?"

"The blonde paparazzi twins that have been following us around France these last two months," Edward grumbled. Stepping closer to Bella, he wrapped his arms around her middle and pulled her closer to him. It calmed him to have her near, and he didn't care if Victoria saw him engage in light PDA with his girlfriend.

"You mean Jessica and Mike?" Victoria asked.

"You know them?" Emily asked in dismay.

"Yeah," Victoria said with another shrug. "Jessica went to my high school until sophomore year. When her dad caught her mom cheating with the pool boy, her dad kicked them both out. Jessica had to finish high school in Chula Vista where she met Mike. They got married out of high school because Jessica wanted to get out of her mom's house. She was tired of her mom always bringing new guys to the house. After that they tried to get casted for Laguna Beach, and when that didn't work she tried to make friends with the Kardashians. Neither plan was successful, so now she's trying to be a Hollywood reporter because she thinks that no one knows celebrities like she does because she's descended from the Hollywood Hills herself."

Edward and Bella stood slack jawed as they listened to Victoria. Embry cleared his throat and asked her, "How do you know all that?"

"Facebook," Victoria said. "Daddy told me not to talk to her because she's bad news, so I don't make friends with her. I cyber stalk her when I get bored because it's more entertaining than watching reality television, but I haven't talked to her since she got pulled from school. Mike kind of gives me the creeps. He's always leering, you know?"

"Have you told James that you don't feel comfortable around Mike since he's been hanging around the sets?" Quil asked looking around for James. "If you haven't, you should tell him. It's James' job to protect you and make sure you're safe at all times."

"You're such a sweetheart, Quilly," Victoria said. Before she could grab Quil in a hug, James called her name.

Jogging over to where they were standing, James told Victoria that she was needed in hair and make=up. After saying goodbye to James and Victoria, Edward took Bella to his trailer where he had lunch waiting for them. They promised Embry and Emily that they would stay in the trailer until it was time for Edward to head back on set, so Embry and Quil took Sam and Emily to see the inner workings of a movie set.

Edward was glad to see that Bella wasn't too bothered by the mess outside. She was irritated with Jessica, but so was he. They were both proud of how the other handled the situation, and Bella had to admit that Jasper was right when he said that she needed to have her own personal security. As much as she'd been against the idea, she was thankful that she always had Emily and Sam behind her. They weren't intrusive, and Emily was turning out to be a fun friend to have around.

After lunch, Edward showed Bella around the set and introduced her to the production crew. He thought it was sweet when a couple of the set designers asked Bella to sign their Nooks, but he had to growl when two of the younger grips tried to flirt with his girl. He couldn't believe their audacity. He was standing right there for goodness sakes.

Bella laughed at Edward's growling and loved the way that everyone on set respected him. He knew everyone's names, even if they had nothing to do with him. He waved and said hello to every person they came across, and he even knew small details about the people that worked more closely with him. He knew their spouses' and children's names, and he knew where they were from. He asked them polite but intuitive questions, and Bella was so impressed with him.

This was really the first time that she was able to see Edward in his element. When it was time for him to get in front of the camera and film, Aro let her sit in the chair next to his when filming commenced. As soon as the cameras started to roll, Bella saw Edward transform in front of her eyes. His posture changed, his body language was different, and his speech rhythm was new. Even though she'd watched everything he'd been in, this was the first time she was seeing him act live, and it was magnificent. He was an artist, and his ability to transform was astounding.

Bella was so enthralled with the whole process that she ended up staying until Edward was done filming for the day. When it was time to leave, she found that it was easier to get off and out of the set versus in because she was with Edward. Embry and Quil brought the car to them, and they were all able to fit in the large SUV. Sam called a car service to return their car, so he didn't have to leave them. Since Edward wanted to take Bella on a surprise excursion, he couldn't risk leaving them if only for a little while.

When Bella finally saw where they were going, she gasped. "Edward, you didn't."

"I did," Edward said with a confident smirk on his face. As he watched Bella's eyes twinkle, he mentally pat himself on the back for a job well done.

Emily closed her eyes and groaned. "All the way up?"

"All the way," Embry said as he glanced back in the rear view mirror to look at Emily who was seated in the last row of seats. "Just close your eyes and don't look down."

"Fuck you, Embry," Emily said wishing she could reach the front seat to smack him. "The whole reason I'm afraid of heights is your fault. What kind of sick twisted bastard makes his little sister climb out a window onto a tree branch because Peter Pan and Tinkerbell are real? Foot powder is totally not fairy dust, asshole!"

"I completely forgot that the two of you were siblings," Quil muttered to himself.

"Right?!" Emily said. "It's hard to believe that I share the same bloodline as that idiot."

"I left all the good genes in the pool for you," Embry said. Turning in his seat, he made kissy faces at his sister.

"Why did I get stuck with the dumb sibling?" Edward asked. When Quil parked the car, Edward slid out and held his hand out to Bella. As they stood in front of the Eiffel Tower, he looked up at all the twinkling lights. "Beautiful, huh?"

"Completely," Bella said in awe. "Are we really going to get to go all the way up to the top?"

"Yup," Edward said. Taking her hand, he pulled her to the elevator. Getting in their escort took them all the way up to the top. While Emily buried her face in Sam's big chest, Bella stared at the city of Paris as it fell beneath them.

When they were finally at the top in the observation deck, Edward and Bella walked out to the window, while Emily clung to Sam just outside the elevator door.

Edward watched Bella look at everything. She took in the view and had the most beautiful smile on her face. When she finally stopped walking, he stood next to her and looked out at the view. As pretty as the night lights were, it didn't compare to the girl next to him.

Turning to Edward, Bella said softly, "I can't believe you arranged this. You were so busy filming, but you still made time to do this for me. Thank you."

"Anything for you," Edward said. Brushing her hair out of her eye, he tucked it behind her ear. "I'll do anything to make you smile. In fact, I've been wanting to ask you something."


	27. Chapter 27

A/N: Please accept my profuse apologies for the delay. RL was..real. Thank you for being patient and sticking with #Belward.

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#Belward – Chapter 27

 _Turning to Edward, Bella said softly, "I can't believe you arranged this. You were so busy filming, but you still made time to do this for me. Thank you."_

 _"Anything for you," Edward said. Brushing her hair out of her eye, he tucked it behind her ear. "I'll do anything to make you smile. In fact, I've been wanting to ask you something."_

When Bella just looked at Edward, waiting for him to continue, he took a deep breath. Reaching in his pocket, he took out the worn black velvet ring box that he'd had his mom ship to him. Opening it, he looked into Bella's eyes. He watched them widen in surprise. "This is my Nan's ring. When I was ten, she sat me down and showed me the ring. She said that when I grow up and find the girl that I want to share all of my tomorrow's with to give her this ring. She said that God will bring hundreds and even thousands of people through my life, but only one will make my heart change its beat. Only one person will ever sing to my soul, and that's you. You are my one. You are my only. And I know with absolute certainty that you are the person I want to spend all of my tomorrows with."

Bella watched in wide-eyed awe as Edward dropped to one knee. Taking her left hand in his, he said, "Will you marry me?"

Dropping to her knees in front of Edward, Bella whispered, "Yes."

Edward felt his smile grow so wide the sides of his face hurt. "Say it again. Say it louder."

"YES!" Bella shouted. She didn't care who heard her or who knew. There was absolutely nothing that could take away the utter elation she was experiencing at that very moment.

Edward slid the ring on her finger and was thrilled to see that it was a perfect fit. Mumbling softly, he said, "It's fate, Nan."

In that second, Bella saw the ten year old boy that Edward used to be when his Nan gave him the ring. She knew that the two of them were close, but it was something different to see the devotion in his eyes. Even if it felt like it was impossible, Bella fell a little more in love with him in that instant. Placing her hands on his cheeks, she brought her face closer to his. Just before her lips touched his, she said, "I love you."

"I love you too," Edward said softly. As they both continued to kneel on the floor, Edward held Bella's hands in his. He ran his fingers over the ring on her hand and just enjoyed the feeling of having it really be there. "It's not too soon?"

"No," Bella said softly, as she watched his thumb pass over her ring finger. Back and forth. Back and forth. "If I know I'm going to spend forever with you, what's the difference between making the audible commitment today versus one or two years from now? It's just a delay of the inevitable."

"As much as I love that this on your finger, I understand if you want to take it off for now," Edward said. Reaching in his jacket, he pulled out a longer black box. Opening it up, he showed her a beautiful chain. "It's so you can wear the ring without wearing it. All it takes is one person to see this on your finger, and the frenzy will get worse. I'm okay with any decision you make. I just want you to be comfortable."

As much as Bella wanted to keep the ring on her finger, she knew that they had to think everything through first. Reluctantly, she slid the ring off and onto the chain that Edward was holding. She turned, so he could place it on her neck. When she turned back round to face him, she asked, "Do we have to talk to Kate and Jake?"

"Probably," Edward said shrugging his shoulders. In the silence of the night, his stomach chose that very moment to growl loudly. "And that would be the way to kill romance right there. I'm sorry, Bella."

Bella just laughed and hugged her fiancé. "It's okay. It's us. It makes everything about this moment so much more us. It was a human moment that was totally normal. I can't ask for more than that."

Edward placed a soft kiss on Bella's head. "So what do you want to do for dinner? Do you want to go out or stay in?"

"Well, we have the full team with us, and we're already out," Bella said. Knowing that she was going to have to face worse later when the world found out she was taking Edward off the market completely, Bella decided to be adventurous. "Let's go out."

After collecting Embry and Quil, they got a scared Emliy back into the elevator. When they final decided on a place to eat, they ended up in a small bistro just a few blocks from where they were staying. Throughout the meal, Bella was completely aware of the cameras and the flashes going off around her, but she was almost used to them already. They didn't bother her like they used to, and she almost didn't see them anymore.

By the time they got back to their flat, it was late, but luckily Edward didn't have an early day tomorrow. He was wrapping up his portion of the filming and only had a half day that started in the afternoon for the next few days. When they were cuddled up in bed, Bella lay with her head on Edward's chest. Closing her eyes, she just focused on the sound of his heart beating beneath her ear and the feeling of his chest rising and falling.

"I could stay like this forever," Bella whispered in the dark. She loved the feel of Edward's warm breath as it grazed the top of her head, and soft cotton of his shirt under her cheek.

"Me too," Edward said softly. As much as he enjoyed sex with Bella, it was the quiet moments like this that made him truly happy. He welcomed any guy to all him a pussy for choosing cuddling over sex. Those guys just didn't know what it was like to just be content and happy in the quiet, dark of night with the person you loved. There was an intimacy in that that could not be duplicated by sex or even making love.

Bella nuzzled her cheek into Edward's chest a little deeper and took a deep breath. If she could bottle a scent and carry it with her everywhere, it would be the clean, fresh, manly scent of Edward. After a few moments, Bella said softly, "Do you think we should do an interview?"

Edward kissed the top of Bella's head and squeezed her tighter to him. "Why do you ask that?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Bella said quietly, "Because as irritating as Jessica was, she had a fairly legitimate point. Your fans, and even mine, have supported us through our careers. Without them, we would be nothing. Many of them are diehards that watch your B-grade movies and buy my not so thrilling novels. If all they want to know his a little bit about who we are together, is it unfair of us to be so stringent about our silence? At what point does protecting our privacy become over-confidence and arrogance? I would never want one of your fans or mine to think that we're saying that we don't care about them and we don't need them. I appreciate them more than anything, and I'd hate to offend or hurt someone like that."

"I understand what you're saying," Edward said. He thought about what she said and ran his fingertips up and down the arm that she had draped across his stomach. "Is an interview something that you want to do or something that you feel like you have to do?"

Bella smiled. She loved that he listened to her, really listened to her. He always asked the important questions that showed her that he cared about her, and that's something that she valued as part of their relationship. "There's a big part of me that feels like we have to do it, but there's an equal part of me that wants to do this. Maybe it's partially to shut people up and show them that we have nothing to hide. I don't know. It's just a gut thing I guess."

"Are you doing this for me or for you?" Edward asked. He didn't want Bella to ever have to feel like she was forced into anything because of him. He always wanted her to have a choice, and he never wanted to take away her life or alter it without her consent. If they were in this together, he wanted to make sure that everything that they did was mutually agreed upon. Their life together would be shared equally and in all ways.

"For us. I'm doing this for us," Bella said with confidence and finality in her voice.

"If I said I didn't want to do it, how would you feel?" Edward asked.

"I'd ask you why just so I could know your reasoning, and I'd accept it," Bella said. Tilting her head up, she rest her chin on his chest and said, "Edward, I would never ask you to do something that you don't want to do."

"Other than meet your dad," Edward said.

Bella brought her hand down and smacked Edward lightly on the chest. "The guns always stay in the safe at home, and he would never actually hurt you. You were terrified for nothing. I told you that he would love you and he did. Big baby."

Edward just huffed, and Bella rolled her eyes at him. Reaching up, Edward brushed Bella's hair behind her ear. Softly, he said, "I'll do it. I can call Kate tomorrow afternoon. You're right, and I agree with you. But I'll only do this if it's on our terms. We pick the interviewer and the location."

"Jake said that most of the major media outlets have been offering us ridiculous sums of money for an exclusive interview," Bella said.

"I know. I think we should donate it to your foundation. Give more scholarships to the kids," Edward said. "That reminds me. Kate e-mailed me, and she said that she and Garret went to the Foundation last month to watch Sunny's short film. She loved it. She said she was bawling by the time it was over, and she was actually kind of pissed at me. Something about waterproof make-up. Whatever. Anyway, she said that she wants to meet Sunny to see about representing her if she's serious about getting into the industry, but she wanted me to ask you if it was okay to approach her. She wasn't sure what the protocol on that kind of stuff is in the Foundation."

Bella sat up quickly and jumped to straddle Edward's waist. Putting her hands on his chest, she said excitedly, "Are you serious? She really wants to do this? She doesn't feel like she has to do this for me, right?"

"No," Edward said loving the way her eyes twinkled in the darkness of the room. "Kate is super excited about meeting Sunny and hopes that you'll say it's okay."

"Oh my god, yes. It's completely okay. Sunny will be so excited," Bella said. Leaning forward, she placed kisses all over Edward's face. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

Edward just laughed. "Not that I mind being thanked or anything, but I didn't do much. All I did was make a suggestion and a connection."

Sitting up, Bella placed her hands on Edward's cheeks. "You cared enough to do it. That's what matters to me."

#####

The rest of Edward's filming in Paris went by quickly and before they knew it, they were back in New York. Edward had a month off before he had to start shooting his next film, and he was thankful for the break. He wanted to use most of his time moving his life from Los Angeles to New York. Bella had already given notice to the tenants living below her, and they were happy to move just one floor lower to a slightly bigger condo at the same monthly rent. While he was in Paris, Bella had the apartment cleaned and cleared out, so Edward could use it as a man cave and office.

In the week that they were home, they had dinner with both families to announce their engagement, and everyone was happy for them. Bella wasn't sure what kind of wedding she wanted yet, and thankfully all of the women kept their noses in their own businesses to let Bella figure out what her dream wedding would look like.

Bella, Rosalie, and Emmett were happy to find out that "Transcendence" was set to film in New York at the start of the New Year, which meant that they'd all be able to stay together for the next several months. Since it was the fall, Bella would have to make several trips out to the different Centers to meet the students as they kicked off their new school years, and Bella was especially excited to see Sunny again. They had arranged a meeting with Kate and Garret in a couple of weeks, and Bella often thought she was more excited about it than anyone else.

One thing that she wasn't all too excited about was the interview that she and Edward had agreed to do with Meredith Vierra. Bella liked Meredith, and she knew that the interview would remain professional. While she still stood by her decision to do this for their fans, there was that tiny, tiny part of Bella that was scared that people would think that she was a fame whore for consenting to an interview.

Throughout her career, Bella had done many interviews for different publications, but she'd never done an on-camera interview. Television was not her medium, and it was terrifying to think that the lights, cameras, and microphone would all be turned on her. Because Edward knew that Bella was nervous and that's why he decided that the best place for the interview would be their living room. Kate and Jake agreed with his selection, and Bella was beyond the point of caring. She knew that people would probably nitpick at her interior decorating, and the diehard Edward fans would try to figure out what brand her couch was only to find a replica for half the price from some website.

Bella refused media training from Jake and Kate. She said that she was determined to be as authentic as she could be if she was going to do this interview. In some senses, she wanted to stumble over her words, make mistakes, and flub up. She wanted to show people that she was real, and she was human just like they were. If she was too perfect, people would think she was canned and artificial. On the other hand, if she was too flawed, people would think she wasn't good enough for him. Well, people already thought that, so Bella was just ready to wing it and get it over with.

On the day of the interview, Alice and Rachel had come to help Bella get ready. As they stood in the master bedroom, Rachel put the final touches on Bella's hair, and Alice clipped a stray thread from Bella's pant cuff.

"Bella, you'll be fine. You have to calm down. There's only so much I can do," Rachel said with her hands on Bella's shoulders. Looking at Bella in the mirror, she said, "I might be a genius, but even I can't cover-up nausea green."

Kneeling next to Bella, Alice put her hand on Bella's knee and squeezed. "There's nothing to worry about, Bella. You're both doing the right thing for you, and that's all that matters. Edward will be right next to you the whole time. And, if that doesn't work and we need a diversion, Emmett is waiting in the wings ready to streak across camera."

"Oh, will he?" Rachel asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Bella, send up the bat signal. I've been waiting to check out that man's tight end."

Bella just rolled her eyes and laughed. Standing up, she took a deep breath. "Thank you, ladies, for putting Humpty Dumpty together again."

After a round of hugs, Bella walked out into her living room to see that it had been transformed into a television set. There were soft boxes, tripods, grips, boom microphones, and wires everywhere she looked. When she caught the Edward's eye, she walked over to where he was getting his microphone handed to him.

"No, no, I can put the mic on myself. Thank you," Edward said as he gingerly took the microphone away from Kandi. Careful not to touch his hand to hers in anyway, Edward watched as one of the grips walked over to Bella with her microphone.

"Ms. Swan, this is yours," the tall shaggy haired boy said. "I can, uh, help you with that if you'd like. All you need to do us unbutton-"

"I got it," Edward growled as he took the microphone away from the boy. Glaring, he said, "I'll help her. You go stand next to a light or something."

Bella laughed as Edward continued to glare at the boy. "Edward, don't decapitate the boy. He was just offering to help."

"He was offering to do more than help," Edward muttered under his breath. When Bella's microphone was on, they went to sit on the couch. The director of photography adjusted their positions until they were where he wanted them, and Meredith finished talking to the main producer.

When Meredith was seated on the arm chair next to the couch, she smiled warmly at Edward and Bella. "Thank you again for the opportunity to do this interview. It's an honor to have been chosen for this exclusive."

Edward nodded. "We wanted to sit down with someone that not only believed in journalistic integrity but practiced it. It's important to us that our story stays ours, not some over-manicured fabrication."

As Meredith expressed her understanding, she caught sight of something glimmering. Seeing the ring on Bella's hand, she gasped slightly. "Bella, your ring is beautiful."

"Thank you," Bella said. "It was Edward's nan's ring. It's an honor to wear it."

"Am I allowed to ask you about that?" Meredith asked.

"I wouldn't have worn it if you weren't allowed to ask," Bella said with her hand clearly visible in her lap.

"Thank you," Meredith said. When she got the signal from the director, she looked at Bella and Edward. After a short introduction, she went into her first question. "It's been months since the first photos appeared online of the two of you together. Both of your respective agencies confirmed your relationship, but you've been notoriously quiet. Why now?"

"Because our fans seem to want to know," Edward said with a shrug of his shoulders. "It's honestly as simple as that. We absolutely value our privacy, but we also have nothing to hide. We don't live ostentatious lifestyles, and I'm not exactly sure why people find our relationship so fascinating. But they want to know, so we felt we owed our fans an interview for sticking by us for so many years."

"Does the timing of this interview have anything to do with that ring on Bella's finger?" Meredith asked.

Bella shook her head and said, "No. Our engagement is not really what prompted us to do this. It was more the sense of duty and responsibility to our fans. The fact that we recently got engaged is just another thing that people would speculate about, and so it just seemed like the right time to address the questions that people have floating around about us."

"What kind of questions are the ones you want to address the most?" Meredith asked.

"I'm not pregnant," Bella said. "That's the first question people will ask when they find out we're engaged. It'll be #BelwardBumpWatch. I'm telling everyone now. There's nothing to watch for you. You'll be disappointed."

"I'm marrying Bella because I want to spend the rest of my life with her, not for any other reason," Edward said. "One day, we do want to have kids, but today is not that day."

Meredith nodded her head and smiled. "What is the biggest misconception that people have of you?"

"That I'm with Edward for his money and his fame," Bella said. Looking Meredith in the eye, she said, "It takes all of two minutes on Google to know that I don't need Edward's money. I'm a grown woman, and I make my own living. I can support myself without him, and I've been able to build my own career without the need of someone else's celebrity status to boost me."

Edward nodded and said, "People think that celebrity is such a desirable entity, and there are a lot of people out there who truly believe that Bella is only dating me for a change in status. But let me tell you that nothing could be further from the truth. She's had her whole life turned upside down because of all this. She's had to hire full-time security, and she can no longer do some of the things that she used to love because it's too public and too dangerous. I hate that my life did that to her. When you love someone, you don't want to alter anything about them in a negative way, but I did that to her."

"Relationships are about sacrifice and compromise, and we're no different than anyone else," Bella said. "Our jobs might be a little different, but our relationship dynamic is still the same. We have to schedule time to spend together just like anyone else. Edward gave up his home in Los Angeles to move here to New York with me. It's a trade-off and a give and take."

"Bella, what's been the most difficult thing for you in this relationship with Edward?" Meredith asked.

"The most difficult thing for me is hearing that so many people think that I'm with him for all the wrong reasons," Bella said. Looking ta Edward, she said, "And the reason why that hurts me the most has nothing to do with me. I could care less about what people say about me. People don't realize that when they say that about me, they discount everything about Edward. Why wouldn't I want to be with someone who is as amazing as Edward? He's the best friend I could ever ask for. He is such a good listener, and he makes me laugh. He's thoughtful and caring, and he just makes me feel so safe. There is no one in the world with as big a heart as Edward, and when people say that all he is to me is money and status that really hurts. He is so much more than that, and I wish people could really think before they speak."

"Edward, what about you?"

"I kind of talked about it earlier," Edward said. "When you're in a relationship with someone, you want to make that person's life better. I see how my life has impacted Bella's, and there's a lot that I wish I didn't have to inflict on her. Because of me, she has to live her life with bodyguards watching her every move. Book signings that used to be about celebrating her work have now become about people wanting to get closer to me. People have said some very hurtful things to her, intentionally or not, and she doesn't deserve any of those things. No one deserves to have people judge them and be insulting or condescending."

"What do you think is one thing that people would be surprised to know about you or your relationship?"

"That we're so normal it's boring," Edward said. "People want drama and they want intrigue. We're none of those things. When we're together, we just enjoy spending time with one another. We don't go out to clubs. Our lives aren't filled with appearances and events. We're homebodies. We like to hang out at home."

"What does the future look like to each of you?"

Bella looked at Edward and smiled. "You know, I write books where I constantly see people's journeys in the frame of a beginning and an end. But with my life, our life, I don't see it that way. I don't know where tomorrow is going to go, but I know that I want to spend it with Edward. I want to be by his side to celebrate his victories, and help him through his losses because there will be losses. I want to spend every day learning more about who he is because I don't expect him to stay the same as we grow old together. I want us to change together, and I want us to keep laughing together like we do now. I've never had as much fun as I have with Edward, and I love that so much. I want every day that we spend together to be better than the one before, and that makes me excited for every tomorrow that I get to share with him."

Edward couldn't help himself. He leaned forward and placed a soft but solid kiss on Bella's lips. "Bella is the first woman that brings me to my knees and makes me feel like the strongest man on earth all at the same time. Every single thing about her is important to me. I love how she challenges me to be a better man. Every day that I get to see life through her eyes, I gain a new perspective. She makes me think about things I never would have thought of, and she teaches me something new every day. I want to keep learning, keep seeing, and keep experiencing with her because life is truly an adventure now. I'm on this path of discovery, and I can't wait to see what we uncover together next. Before, I would have wanted to have a plan for when we get married, at what year we have our first child, and when we move to the suburbs. But I don't want that anymore. I didn't plan to find her, and I sure as hell wasn't expecting her. If every unplanned moment for the rest of my life is as gifted and blessed as the one when I met her, then I will be the happiest man on earth."


	28. Chapter 28

#Belward – Chapter 28

The public's response to their interview with Meredith Vierra surprised Bella. When they met with Jake and Kate a few days after the interview aired, Bella was shocked to hear that 90 percent of the people that watched it had positive comments. She thought that people would find more things to resist in their statements, but she was happy to hear that she was wrong. Edward, on the other hand, knew that people would love his Bella the way that he did. They just needed the chance to get to know her.

By the time they got back to Los Angeles to meet with Sunny, their hashtag was trending all over the place. Fans had flooded Bella's official website with e-mails of support and suggestions for their upcoming nuptials. Jake had more offers for wedding exclusives than he knew what to do with, and the Real Housewives were desperate to have Bella be a part of their show. Bella just laughed and told Jake he could let Aria draw all over the letters.

Bella felt guilty when she met Sunny in the Los Angeles Center. Poor Sunny had seen the interview and wasn't sure if she could treat Bella the same way because she was marrying a famous person. When she saw Bella in the lobby, she didn't run up to hug her like she did in the past. Instead, she walked up slowly and stuck out her hand.

Looking down at Sunny's hand, Bella asked, "What's this? Are you mad at me? Where's my hug?"

Sunny looked up in shock. "I'm not mad at you. Why would you think that I'm mad at you?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Bella said, "Well, I didn't get my usual Sunny hug, and you're just offering me a formal handshake. I thought we were closer than that. I must've done something to make you feel like you can't hug me anymore."

"No, it's not like that," Sunny said shaking her head. "I saw the interview that you did on television with that reporter and Edward. I wasn't sure if I was allowed to hug you."

"Sunny," Bella said. Holding out her arms, she said, "I'm the same person I was before. Doing the interview was just something Edward and I needed to do. You're always allowed to hug me."

Jumping in to Bella's arms, Sunny squeezed tightly and said, "Okay. I'm glad. I was afraid that I'd lost you too."

Pulling back slightly, Bella put her hands on Sunny's cheeks and said softly, "Hey, you won't lose me. Your life is different now, Sunny. It's what you make it to be. You're in control, and no one can take that from you."

Sunny just nodded her head and stepped forward to hug Bella again. Through the last few years, Bella had become an older sister to her, and that's something she'd never had before. When they heard footsteps approaching, Sunny pulled back and straightened her back. She knew that the people that Bella had her meeting today were important, and she just hoped that she would be able to make Bella proud.

Edward walked in with Kate and Garrett. He loved the way that Bella took all of her kids under her wings, and cared for them as if they were her own family. Offering his hand, he said, "Sunny. It's nice to see you again."

Putting her hand in Edward's, Sunny shook his hand and said softly, "It's nice to see you again too. I can't believe I get to shake your hand and talk to you twice. Oh my god."

Edward laughed softly and said, "I want you to meet two people who are very special to me. This is Kate Denali, my agent, and her husband Garrett, my manager. They've been with me my whole career, and they wanted to meet you."

Sunny shook their hands and looked between all of the adults. "Why? Why would they want to meet me? I'm nobody."

Kate stepped forward and said, "Oh, you're somebody, Sunny Lee. Edward thought we might like your movie, and we came by to watch it a few weeks ago. We were so impressed."

Garrett stayed where he was because he didn't want to inadvertently intimidate Sunny further. "You are an excellent storyteller, Sunny. Your work shows maturity far beyond your years, and I know with time your talent will only grow. Kind of like this other guy we know."

Edward shook his head when Garrett nudged him. "Sunny, Bella told me that making movies is a passion for you, and it's something that you want to dedicate your life to. Is that true?"

Sunny nodded and bit her lip. "Film is more than just a creative outlet for me. I mean, it started out like that, but it grew into more. It's like something I have to do. I told my teachers that at school, and they just laughed. They said that we're in LA. Film makers are a dime a dozen, so I better pick a real career before I end up homeless. It kind of pissed me off. I've been homeless, and it's nothing to laugh at, so what do they know? I'm glad that my foster parents helped me get in here. The Center's really saved me, and being able to make the short film that you saw was one of the hardest but most awesome things I've ever done."

Bella smiled because that was the most she'd ever heard Sunny talk to a stranger before. Meeting Edward's eyes, she saw that he was just as glad that they were able to make this connection. Looking at Kate and Garrett, Bella said, "Sunny is actually graduating from high school next June. Because of her grades, she does qualify for our scholarship program, but she's not sure if college is the right next step for her."

Garrett nodded his head. "College isn't for everyone, but it has its merits. If you go to the right school and pick the right program, you can learn a lot. What do you want to do?"

"I don't know," Sunny said. Looking down at the grout in the marble floor, she said, "I put this together with what I learned online, but I know there's tons that I don't know. I want to learn more about what other people do and how professionals make movies, but I don't even know where to start. Right now my only real teacher is the internet."

"If we said we could help you and get you the right mentors, what would you say?" Kate asked.

"What would I have to do?" Sunny asked. In her world, nothing was free. There was always a trade-off and she'd learned long ago to ask all her questions up front.

"All we ask is that you try out college. We'll help you find the right one because not all schools are known for their cinematography programs," Kate said. "If college isn't for you, then we'll help you find a different way to learn. This is a city filled with options, and there will be people everywhere promising to take you down the yellow brick road. But we'll help you. We just want you to promise to believe in yourself and work hard."

Edward nodded and said, "Hollywood is a tough place to build a career, Sunny, but if you find the right people to guide you through it, you'll make it. Kate and Garrett have never lied to me, and they've always given me really good advice. You'll have to work really hard and stay determined, but if you can do that, you'll go far."

Sunny looked at Bella and saw her reassuring smile. Looking back at Edward, Kate, and Garrett, she nodded her head and said, "I can do that. I can do all of that. I promise."

#####

Edward's month off flew by quickly. Before anyone knew it, it was time for him to start working on the action triplet that he had lined up. The night before he was set to film, they sat in Bella's living room eating Chinese take-out from the cartons.

Putting her carton of shrimp fried rice on the coffee table, Bella looked at Edward and asked, "Did you decide what you were going to do after this project wraps?"

Shaking his head, Edward said, "No. Garrett gave me a bunch of scripts before I went to Paris, but none of them jumped out at me. I still have some time, and it's not like I need to jump right into another movie after I finish with this one."

"You are shooting three in one crack," Bella said with a roll of her eyes. After taking a sip of her beer, she said, "The reason I ask is because I wanted you to read something. It's nothing serious. It's just…something."

Edward cocked an eyebrow and put his carton down on the table. "Bella, I'll read anything you want me to read. What is this something that's making you so hesitant?"

Bella stood up and walked to her writing room to grab the stack of papers sitting on the corner of the desk. After handing it to Edward, she said, "When you were in Paris, I started working on something. It was just a little project, but I got kind of inspired. I don't always finish every project I start. Sometimes the characters stop talking to me. But this time, the characters just got louder. They got stronger, and I came up with this. It's for you."

Edward looked at the pages in his hands. He'd seen her manuscripts before, and this wasn't one. The stack of pages in his hands was a screenplay. "This is for me?"

"Yeah," Bella nodded. Tucking her hair behind her ear, she said, "I actually wrote this with you in mind for the lead. I don't know why I started it or where it came from. It's not like anything that you've ever acted in before. But the main character, Sawyer, was created with you in mind. I'm not asking you to read this because I want you to turn this into a movie. I just want to know what you think because your opinion matters to me. If it never turns into anything, I'll be fine with that. I don't even know if you'd be comfortable playing a character like Sawyer."

"Tell me about him," Edward said, leaning back against the couch.

"No," Bella said shaking her head. "I want you to read it and tell me what you think. If I tell you, I'll be coloring your perception of him and the story. I want your unadulterated opinion."

"Okay," Edward said. "I'm going to read it right now."

Bella laughed, as Edward hopped onto the couch and opened the screen play. "Did you even finish your dinner?"

"Uh huh," Edward said nodding his head. "You can leave everything. I'll clean it up after I finish. I don't want you to have to deal with the dinner mess."

Bella just waved her hand and started picking up the mostly finished containers of food. Edward was already reading, and she was actually quite touched that he would be so enthused to read her work. She was nervous about asking him to read it because she didn't want him to feel like she was asking him for something or he was obligated to do anything, especially if he didn't like it.

While Edward read, Bella cleaned up and went to her writing room. While she was doing some research for her current manuscript, Edward came in and sat in the couch on the other side of her desk. Bella took off her reading glasses and looked at Edward.

Edward held up the screen play and asked, "Did you show this to anyone else?"

"No," Bella said. "Vanessa doesn't even know that I wrote it. I've never written anything that was supposed to be a movie. I usually write the book first, so this was a first for me. I wasn't sure how it was going to come out, so I kept it to myself."

"Bella, I'm not saying this because you're going to be my wife," Edward said. Looking down at the manuscript, he continued, "I've read thousands of scripts, and this is one of the best stories I've read in a long time. I'm honored that you thought of me to play Sawyer. It's a departure from what I've played in the past."

Shrugging her shoulders, Bella said, "Thank you. I don't really know what to say other than that."

"You don't have to say anything," Edward said. "I'm going to send this to Garrett if that's okay with you. I want him to shop this and find me a studio that will back this. I don't even have to get paid. I want to do this so badly."

"Edward," Bella laughed. "Don't be rash about it."

"I'm not," Edward said emphatically. "You don't know how good this is. Actors wait their whole careers for roles like this."

#####

It took three weeks and five days for Garrett to find a studio that would turn Bella's screenplay into a movie. When Garrett called her to tell her that Sony had picked up the film and wanted to know how soon Edward would be ready to film, Bella didn't know what to say. Edward, on the other hand, knew exactly what to say. He told Garrett that after he finished filming the triplet, he wanted a few months off to get married and go on proper honeymoon. After that, he would be free to film Bella's movie.

Bella just laughed and said okay. She would marry the man the next day in a court house if he wanted to. The more she thought about it, the more the venue and the event itself didn't matter. All of the magazines were speculating that they were going to have the wedding of the century, but that's not really what Bella wanted. She knew that with their given circles of friends and business associates, their wedding could get out of hand quickly.

One evening, Edward was filming late, and Bella was on Skype talking to her mother about her wedding. Usually, Bella didn't take anything that Renee said seriously, but for the first time, Renee was on to something. She suggested that Bella and Edward just get married at home. She asked Bella who was most important to them, and Bella quickly said their family and really close friends, and Renee said told her that was all she needed.

The next day, Bella told Edward about her conversation with Renee, and Edward agreed. He told her he just wanted their family and really close friends at their wedding. When Edward asked Bella where she wanted to get married, Bella asked him if Esme would allow them to get married at the Cullen's house in Weehawken. Edward smiled and said that his mother would be thrilled, which she was.

As Edward continued to film, Rosalie started her work on Bella's "Transcendence". She'd told Bella it was one of the most emotionally demanding roles she'd ever attempted, but she was ready for the challenge. Despite filming endless hours during the week, both Edward and Rosalie still made time to help Bella plan their wedding. Because it was a smaller, more intimate wedding, there weren't as many details to plan for, and Bella was thankful for that.

After talking with Edward, they decided that they didn't want to do the whole reception program that weddings usually have. There would be no cake cutting, bouquet toss, garter toss, money dance, chicken dance, speeches, or huge progrma. All Bella and Edward wanted was a short, simple ceremony and a nice dinner with the people that meant the most to them.

Of course, there was still the issue of Bella's dress, Edward's tuxedo, flowers, decorations, and a caterer. When Bella asked Edward what he wanted for a cake, he told her that he wanted anything with marshmallow fluff as the filling. Nothing could have made Bella happier. She knew that Edward didn't understand her obsession with the sticky confection, but his willingness to have it at their wedding made her love him even more.

Alice, as usual, was Bella's fashion godsend. Even after sitting with Angela and Vanessa to look through stacks of wedding magazines, Bella still couldn't identify what kind of dress she wanted. So Alice decided to sit her down at the computer. As they went through every google image under the search category "wedding dresses", Bella told Alice everything she didn't like about each one. By the end of the search, Alice said she understood. One week later, Bella had the most beautiful dress she'd ever seen.

Bella was never really inclined towards visual creativity. That's why she stuck to black words on a white page, so she was more than relieved when Esme volunteered to help her decorate the house. Edward was a simple guy and didn't really care what kind of flowers Bella chose. His main concern in all of the wedding planning was that Bella get the wedding she wanted, not the one she felt she should have or was expected to have. One evening when they were talking about the dinner menu, Edward went so far as to tell Bella that he'd marry her once a year on their anniversary until all of her wedding dreams were fulfilled. Bella just laughed and said that planning a wedding a year would probably kill her.

As the wedding planning plodded along slowly but surely, so did the filming of both Edward's and Rosalie's movies. Bella went took a few days here and there to visit both of them on set. She spent more time with Rosalie since "Transcendence" was her baby. She was thrilled with the director's vision, and she was continuously amazed by Rosalie's range and talent. The more Bella saw Rosalie step into the role of her heroine, the more excited Bella became for the audience to see her.

#####

The day that Edward and Bella got married was one of the best days of Bella's life. She cried when she saw her father dressed in his tuxedo. Growing up, he'd always been her hero, her knight in shining armor, and her rock. Now, he had tears in his eyes as he got ready to walk his baby down the aisle.

Esme and Carlisle's backyard had been transformed into something that looked straight out of a fairy tale. There were white flowers and twinkle lights everywhere. As Bella held on to Charlie's arm and walked down the aisle, she kept her eyes on Edward's. When she stood in front of him, Charlie put her hand in Edward's and kissed her on the cheek. After mouthing "I love you" to her dad, Bella stepped closer to stand next to Edward under the arbor.

If anyone asked her, she wouldn't be able to tell them what the pastor said. She honestly couldn't remember. The only thing she was focused on was the man that was about to be her husband. When they were asked if they wanted to write their own vows, both Edward and Bella declined. They agreed that there was something meaningful and profound about saying the same vows that had been said for generations. It was particularly important for Edward because he had always valued his parents' relationship and wanted to lay the same foundation for his marriage as they had for theirs.

The ceremony itself took less than ten minutes, and the newlyweds were thrilled. While the ceremony was important to them, it meant more to them that they share their special day with everyone that was a part of the day with them. Bella loved that Emmett did his version of a touchdown dance when he could enjoy the post season with three servings of truffle butter whipped potatoes and seven layer fluffernutter cake. Edward knew that he would always remember the way his heart warmed at the sight of his dad twirling Aria round the living room with her bare feet and pink toenails on his sock feet.

At the end of the evening, Quil insisted on driving Edward and Bella back home because it was "tradition." Neither of them quite knew what he meant by that, but they were just touched that he wanted to keep it in the family until the last second of their special day. The moment Bella stepped through the door, she gasped. She hadn't been home since early that morning because she had to get her hair done, and she was surprised to see that Edward had the condo filled with the same white flowers and twinkle lights from the wedding.

Ever the gentleman, Edward scooped Bella into his arms and carried her over the threshold. Placing her gently on the couch, he walked into the kitchen and grabbed the bottle of Champagne he had chilling in the refrigerator. Once had popped the cork and they each had a glass, Edward held his glass out.

"I'd like to toast to the most beautiful woman to every come into my life. To the woman who has an amazing heart of gold and the patience of a saint. To the woman who makes me excited to live every tomorrow because it'll be a new adventure to share. To the woman who continuously steals my breath. To the woman I will love forever."

Bella tapped her glass to Edward's and took a small sip. "I want to toast to the best surprise I've ever gotten. To the man that redefined what prince charming is and proved that there really is such a thing as happily ever after. To the man that makes me feel tingly and my knees weak. To the man that makes me believe that anything and everything is possible. To the man that I will love forever."

Edward toasted with Bella and took a sip of the bubbly alcohol. Reaching forward, he ran his finger over Bella's cheekbone. "Do you wish that we set off in your jet to a private island instead of being here in the condo we sleep in every night?"

Shaking her head, Bella said, "Not in the least. If we went on a honeymoon, people would be playing 'Where's Waldo' with you until the found you. When they did, we'd play cat and mouse with them the whole time. As much as I've gotten used to that kind of travelling with you, it doesn't really scream intimacy and romance."

"My thoughts exactly. We've both had years of glitz, glamour, five star hotels, fancy food, and maître ds in tuxedos. That's basically all the life I had before you. Now that I have you, I want to start it off with just you. It means more to me to spend our first night as husband and wife in our home than it does to spend it in a hotel room that thousands have defiled before us. If honeymoons are supposed to be about intimacy and romance, then I can't think of anywhere better than here. Our home."

As normal, boring, and mundane as it may seem to anyone else, it was perfect to Edward and Bella. They were in their sanctuary together, and that's all that mattered.

The End


	29. Chapter 29

#Belward – Epilogue

"What's on your schedule for today?" Bella asked as she sat at the kitchen island next to Edward who was reading a script.

Edward put down his script and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I didn't have anything planned. Why? What's up?"

Bella took a sip of orange juice and said, "I'm going to have lunch with Sunny. She's back from visiting her foster family in LA, so we're having a 'Good Luck NYU Sophomore' lunch."

"You girls make up all kinds of silly reasons to get together. Why not just see each other because you want to see each other?" Edward asked with a chuckle.

"Because it's more fun and it gives us an excuse to eat cake," Bella said with a nod of certainty.

"Sweetheart, I think the bowling ball you're trying to smuggle in your dress is excuse enough to eat cake," Edward said as he reached over and rubbed his hand over Bella's swollen belly. At 32 weeks, she still had a ways to go, but her tummy was finally nice and round, which Edward found adorable.

"Just because I'm the size of two people doesn't mean I have to eat like two people," Bella said. When she felt their daughter start to move, she moved Edward's hand to where he could also feel the soft bumps. "Your little nudger is going to be a soccer player."

"Have you thought any more about what you want to name her?" Edward asked. Alice had been designing a new children's line and wanted to name it after her new niece, but they hadn't come up with a name that they liked yet.

"What about Reneesme? It's a combination of our mom's names," Bella said as she looked at her orange juice. She knew that if she made eye contact with Edward she would laugh, so she kept focus on the pulp in her juice.

"Uh," Edward cleared his throat. "Are you being facetious? I want to say the right thing. I know you've been a little more sensitive lately, and I don't want to hurt your feelings or offend you."

Bella looked up and saw the straight fear on Edward's face. Laughing, she put her hand on his cheek. "Silly man. I'm just joking. I would never name our child something so ridiculous."

"What do you mean? You don't want to go all Hollywood and name our kid something like Hufflepuff?" Edward asked. "It's cute. We could call her Puffy."

"You can't call a girl Puffy, Edward," Bella laughed. "And you sure as hell cannot call her Huffy either."

"I don't know," Edward said. He still had his hand on Bella's stomach and was rubbing the spot where he could feel part of his daughter's body as it pressed up against Bella's belly. "I swear she knows I'm here. That's why she's lying right here. She knows Daddy is rubbing her back."

Bella smiled and felt tears prick her eyes. Blinking quickly, she started to sniffle.

Looking up quickly, Edward said, "What happened? What did I say? I'm sorry. I was wrong. I didn't mean it. Why are you crying?"

Bella laughed and leaned forward to hug her husband. "You didn't say anything wrong. You said everything right."

When Edward's phone rang, he reached over to answer. "I'm off today. Go away."

"Fuck you," Embry responded. "I can't just call a brother because I miss the sound of his voice? What the fuck man?"

"I saw you less than 12 hours ago. What do you want?" Edward closed his eyes and leaned his forehead on the cool counter top. All he wanted to do was nothing. He'd done everyone's bidding all week, and now that he'd finally reached Friday, he wanted it all to himself.

"Well, I was hanging out with Kate and Garrett discussing your upcoming schedule after Midnight Sun is born-"

"Who the hell is Midnight Sun?!" Edward said rolling his forehead back and forth on the counter.

"Your kid. I named her. You're welcome," Embry said matter-of-factly. Pushing on, he continued, "When we were meeting, something came through. I'm the lucky one that won the Rock-Paper-Scissors to call you with the information. Lucky me."

Groaning, Edward pushed his head further into the table. "What? Come on! I don't want to adult today. I really, really, really don't want to have to adult today. I want to stay the fuck home in my pajamas and eat Bacon Mac and Cheese Potato Chips all day. It's pre-season, man!"

"I want Bacon Mac and Cheese Potato Chips. Save me some," Embry said feeling his mouth water. "I can be there in twenty minutes. I'll even bring you some of that disgusting Cherry Coke."

"No. You coming here means I have to adult. I'm protesting. Stay away from me today," Edward whined.

"If I do that, I can't tell you that the Oscar nominations came in and both you and Bella are up for Oscars again this. Apparently the Academy loves the movie that you made together," Embry said with a smile in his voice. "Now can I have some chips?"

#####

"The nominees for Best Actor in a Motion Picture are…"

Edward sat in his seat and felt Esme's hand tighten in his. Looking over, he caught her eye and smiled. While he was sad that Bella couldn't be there with him, he could not have chosen a better stand-in than his mom. Even if he didn't win, he wanted to share this moment with her. She'd been there to support him through the good times and the bad times, and she was his biggest fan always.

Earlier in the evening, the nominations were read for the Best Screenplay category that Bella was up for, and in a way, Edward was kind of relieved that she didn't win. He would have been sad if she won but wasn't there to accept it. They'd been texting all evening, and he knew that she wasn't sad. She hadn't expected to win, and she was already working on the sequel. She said that there was something about pregnancy that kept her inspired.

"The winner in the Best Actor in a Motion Picture category is…Edward Cullen!"

His legs wouldn't move. Edward looked at Esme who was pulling him into the tightest hug. After hugging her back, she pushed him to his feet. As if on auto pilot, he made his way to the stage, he hugged his director and producer for the movie.

After shaking hands with the presenters, Edward ran his hands through his hair. Clearing his throat, he took a deep breath, and said, "Wow. I can't believe this. This has by far been the best two months of my life. There are moments in life that you can't script and these last couple of months are a testament to that. I want to thank my amazing wife Bella. She couldn't be here tonight because she's at home caring for our daughter, Hope. Every day, I want to be a better man for the two of you. I want to thank my parents and my family for always believing in me, even when I didn't. Thank you to Garrett and Kate Denali for seeing what other people couldn't and taking a chance on a kid with stupid hair. To my sidekick and partner in crime, Embry, you are my ride or die bro, and I do love you man! To everyone who touched this movie, thank you. To all of the fans who have stood by me, there are no words that can describe what your support means to me. Thank you. It's not enough, but thank you."

#####The End#####

 _ **A/N: Thank you everyone for your extreme patience and support of this story. To all of you who've kept reading through all of these chapters, offered kind words and constructive criticism, and stuck with me even when RL got in the way - THANK YOU.**_


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